Maharashtra: CBI Registers Preliminary Enquiry To Probe Allegations Of Corruption Against Anil Deshmukh

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Tuesday (6 April) that it has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) on the orders of the Bombay High Court within 15 days into the allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled by former Mumbai Police Commiasioner Param Bir Singh against ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

A CBI official said, "The agency has registered a PE with respect to the Bombay High Court order dated April 5."

The Bombay High Court had on Monday (5 April) directed the CBI to conduct preliminary enquiry within 15 days against Deshmukh, who stepped down from the post of Maharashtra Home Minister after the alleged corruption charges levelled against him by the former Mumbai top cop.

Singh had sought a thorough probe by the CBI into his allegations that Deshmukh had asked arrested policeman Sachin Vaze 'to collect' Rs 100 crore per month and also challenged his own (Singh) transfer as Commandant-General, Home Guards.

The state had strongly objected to the plea on the grounds that Singh made the allegations only because he was shunted out of his post as Mumbai police chief.

Earlier in the day, Deshmukh had raised the issue of legality in the appointment of an interim CBI Director in his plea challenging the Bombay High Court order directing a PE by the agency into the corruption allegations levelled against him by Singh.

Deshmukh also sought a stay on the high court order as an interim relief.

The Maharashtra government and Deshmukh have moved the Supreme Court, challenging the order of a division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)