Anil Deshmukh Case: Arrested CBI sleuth, accused of illegal gratification, moves Delhi HC

In a major development in the illegal gratification case in connection with the CBI's probe against ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, arrested CBI Sub Inspector Abhishek Tiwari has moved the Delhi High Court seeking bail. The trial court had earlier denied him bail on the grounds that being a CBI official he can influence the probe as he is well versed with the procedure and working of the probe agency.

In his bail plea filed, Adv Meenesh Kumar Dubey has told the court that though the bail was denied on this ground, he is no longer an official of the Central probe agency. The arrested CBI official in his plea has alleged that the present case is merely a conspiracy hatched by some of his senior officials. 

"...the case was registered on surmises and conjectures and the petitioner has been entangled in the present case because of a conspiracy of victimization hatched by some seniors, who always had an eye on the integrity, honesty and uprightness of the petitioner in performing his duty as an Investigator for CBI," Tiwari said in his petiton, which is exclusively accessed by Republic TV.

The plea further goes on to say that the petitioner having been victimized was not only falsely implicated in the present case but his residence both at Pyagraj (Allahabad) and New Delhi were searched by the CBI, wherein nothing incriminating has been found. 

"...the present case is a rivalry between the senior officers, wherein the petitioner has been made a scape-goat for obvious reasons that the petitioner is lower in rank but also did not toe with the whims and fancies of certain senior officers relating to the manner of Investigation," the plea said further. 

The matter is listed for hearing before a single-judge bench of the high court presided by Justice Yogesh Khanna.

Anil Deshmukh's Lawyer and CBI officer Abhishek Tiwari in Judicial custody

Anil Deshmukh's Lawyer Anand Daga allegedly bribed CBI sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari, with an iPhone 12 Pro and other expensive gifts to access investigation details of the former Maharashtra minister's extortion case, as per the FIR filed by the CBI. When Anand Daga and CBI sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari were produced before the court the central probe agency informed the court that a lot of data has been recovered from the seized mobile phones of both Anand Daga and Abhishek Tiwari. Following this, the court remanded the two accused to two-day judicial custody.  

The FIR copy mentioned that a team of officers led by inquiry officer R.S. Gunjiyal, along with suspect Tiwari, left for Mumbai on April 6 for conducting an inquiry in the matter against Deshmukh. During the probe, the team members examined many witnesses including Deshmukh on April 14 and the report was submitted later.

As per the FIR, it has been reliably learned that the copies of the confidential documents pertaining to the inquiry and the investigation have been 'disclosed to unauthorized persons'. It has been reliably learned that Tiwari came in contact with Daga, a Nagpur-based advocate, during the course of the inquiry and had been in regular contact with him since.

The FIR further read that Abhishek Tiwari shared copies of different documents like the memorandum of proceedings, sealing-unsealing memorandum, statements, and seizure memos related to the investigation of the said case through WhatsApp on many occasions.

The extortion charge against Anil Deshmukh

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 refuted Deshmukh's remarks that his transfer was due to serious lapses in the Antilia bomb scare case. Moreover, he alleged that the NCP leader had asked Sachin Vaze to extort Rs.100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai.

(Image: ANI/Representative Image)