Wait till Judicial custody: ED plea to confront Sachin Vaze with Deshmukh statement denied

A Mumbai court on Tuesday rejected ED's application seeking dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze's custody in an extortion case related to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. During the hearing, Enforcement Directorate demanded Vaze's custody for two hours to confront him with the statement of the NCP leader.

"The urgency is, if we found some explosive from Sachin Vaze’s statement, then we can confront Anil Deshmukh who is now under our custody," ED said.

The court said that it has no role in this as it is on the investigation officer who can allow it or not. "The original custody is of NIA and now with Mumbai Police. You can wait till Judicial Custody," the court said.

The ED argued, "But then we have Anil Deshmukh custody till November 12."

Opposing ED's plea, Mumbai Police said, "Legally under section 267, we got transit remand and the accused is under the investigation officer. They can wait for Judicial Custody or they can go to Taloja jail and record Vaze's statement as he is a prime accused in their case. But once police custody is granted, one cannot interfere as a legal aspect. So two hours is not legally sustainable."

Sachin Vaze is currently in Mumbai Police's custody in connection to the Goregaon extortion case. He will be under their custody till November 13. Before that, the sacked officer was lodged in Mumbai's Taloja jail after being arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Antilia Bomb scar case and Mansukh Hiren murder case.

Anil Deshmukh to remain in ED Custody till Nov 12

Last week, the Bombay High Court had sent Deshmukh to ED's custody till November 12 in connection to a money laundering case. The NCP leader was arrested by the central agency on November 1after more than 12 hours of questioning.

The ED had initiated an investigation against the ex-Maharashtra minister and his associates after CBI filed its FIR against Deshmukh for alleged corruption and misuse of his official position. His associates- private secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundar Shinde- have also been arrested in connection with the case.

Trouble started brewing for Anil Deshmukh in April this year when former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh in an explosive letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleged that Deshmukh had given a target to Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crores a month from restaurants, bars and other establishments in Mumbai. The Nationalist Congress Party leader believed that a month collection of Rs 40-50 crores were possible from such establishment and the rest could be 'collected from other sources', the ex-top cop alleged.