Anil Deshmukh says he'll appear at ED once he's completed legal remedies; posts statement

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who has been repeatedly skipping Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons in money laundering and bribery case, informed on Thursday that his petition seeking relief from the ED summons has been accepted by the Supreme Court. 

The former NCP Minister, who faces extortion charges, skipped the summons for the fifth time on Wednesday as he refused to appear before the central agency at its Mumbai office. He instead knocked on the doors of the top court, seeking anticipatory bail in the corruption case. 

His lawyer, Inderpal Singh, approached the ED office to seek an exemption from personal appearance so that his client can approach a local court for bail. Issuing a statement on Thursday, Deskhmukh informed that his plea has been accepted by the court. 

"My petition in the case of ED has been granted by the Supreme Court.  The Supreme Court will hear the petition soon. At the same time, the SC has allowed me to go to the lower court," said Deshmukh. 

The former Home Minister said that he will personally go to the ED office and cooperate with the investigation after the legal process is complete. 

"The court process is still underway. When this legal process is complete, I will personally go in front of the ED and cooperate with them. Throughout my political and social life, I have always adhered to high ideals," Deshmukh said in his statement. 

No relief to Deshmukh in money laundering case

Deshmukh had suffered a setback earlier this week, after a three-judge Supreme Court bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Krishna Murari, and V Ramasubramanian declined to grant him protection from any coercive action in the money laundering case registered by the ED.

At the same time, it granted him the liberty to avail remedies under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Earlier, the ED provisionally attached immovable assets worth Rs 4.2 crore belonging to the ex-Maharashtra Home Minister and his family members under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED has also conducted multiple raids at premises linked with him in Mumbai and Nagpur.

The controversy came to the fore on February 20 when ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh levelled serious 'extortion' charges against Anil Deshmukh. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh alleged that the NCP leader had asked suspended officer Sachin Vaze to extort Rs 100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai.