MUMBAI: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Tuesday rejected an adjournment plea filed by former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case registered by the CBI, holding that the application was “intentionally filed” to “prolong the matter”, and observing that repeated applications and non-cooperation by the accused had created obstacles in the proceedings.
The court’s observation came a day after it allowed an adjournment sought by Deshmukh’s side on the grounds that his counsel was stuck in the Supreme Court. Deshmukh’s counsel sought a further adjournment, stating that the advocate was engaged in another court. It further held that the latest adjournment application had been filed intentionally to prolong the matter. Deshmukh denied the allegations. Following a Bombay high court order directing a preliminary inquiry, the CBI registered an FIR against Deshmukh and others.
The CBI case arises from allegations made by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in 2021 against Deshmukh, who was then Maharashtra home minister. Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had directed police officers, including dismissed officer Sachin Waze, to collect ₹ 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
However, the court noted that senior advocate Inderpal Singh was present and held that the fact that the advocate was engaged in another court was “not sufficient ground” to adjourn the matter. The court recorded that the matter had been adjourned “day to day” and said that the proceedings were being obstructed due to the accused’s non-cooperation. The court said the interim application was “required to be heard expediently in order to reach the stage of framing of charges” and rejected the adjournment plea.
The matter was listed on Tuesday for hearing on an interim application, the hearing of which has itself been adjourned repeatedly.
A parallel money-laundering case on the same allegations is being pursued separately by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has alleged that the money collected from Mumbai bars was routed through shell entities to a Nagpur-based educational trust linked to the Deshmukh family.
The court has now fixed September 7 for the Hearing Before Charge and on the pending applications. More than four years after the CBI charge sheet was filed, the case is still at the stage before framing of charges.
