State’s plea to transfer Anil Deshmukh’s case to SIT has no grounds: CBI to HC

CBI said that the Maharashtra government is trying to scuttle the investigation into the corruption charges against Anil Deshmukh

Mumbai The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Monday that there were no grounds to accept the state’s plea of transferring the investigation into the corruption charges against Anil Deshmukh to a Special Investigation Team. They further reiterated its stand that the Maharashtra government was trying to scuttle the investigation.

CBI reiterated its stand that the Maharashtra government was trying to scuttle the investigation. (HT FILE)

The CBI said that the state filed the petition after the chief secretary Sitaram Kunte and DGP Sanjay Pandey were issued multiple summons by CBI for recording statements and then sought supervisory powers to oversee the statements given by the two officers, was indicative of the state being scared of the consequences.

CBI’s additional solicitor general Aman Lekhi informed the division bench of Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Sarang Kotwal that while the state government said that it was not averse to cooperating with the CBI, it was resorting to all possible means to derail the same.

Referring to the invocation of Section 4 of the Police Act, wherein the state could supervise the statements being recorded by an investigating authority, Lekhi submitted that neither officers were in a state of mind which requires the supervision of the state.

Thirdly, Lekhi also refuted the argument that the officers were being harassed and said that if the officers were exempted from recording statements in the investigation, no cases could be solved.

Responding to the claim by the state that the minutes of the police establishment board meeting, wherein dismissed cop Sachin Vaze was reinstated, could not be relied upon, was not valid as the minutes had substantial evidence to prove the interference of the home minister. Similarly, Lekhi submitted that the home minister had a personalised influence in the transfer and posting issue of police officers in the state.

Lekhi submitted that the process that was adopted by the board shows clear involvement of the home minister and also shows close nexus between the minister and his associates.