Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Sunday moved to the Supreme Court seeking protection from any coercive action in a money laundering case.
Deshmukh's lawyer Inderpal B Singh said, "Anil Deshmukh has filed a plea in Supreme Court praying that no coercive action should be taken against him."
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued summons to Deshmukh, asking him to appear before the agency on July 5 in connection with the money laundering case.
The agency has also summoned his son Hrishikesh Deshmukh on July 6 in the same case.
This is the third time Deshmukh has been summoned by the ED in the case. Deshmukh had earlier skipped two summons of the ED in the case.
On June 29, Deshmukh skipped the second summons citing the COVID pandemic and asked the ED to record his statement through an "audio/visual" mode of their choice.
He has also skipped the summon on June 26.
Earlier on June 25, the ED had raided Deshmukh's residences in Nagpur and Mumbai. Raids were conducted at five places.
After the raids, Deshmukh had said that former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had made false allegations against him after he was removed from the post over his suspicious role.
The case against the former Home Minister was registered on May 11. Earlier in April, the CBI had conducted raids at four premises of Deshmukh after registering an FIR against him in connection with the case.
An FIR was filed based on Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) and criminal conspiracy (IPC 120 B).
During the searches, the CBI recovered incriminating documents and digital devices, sources confirmed.
Param Bir Singh, in his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had alleged that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crores every month.
Waze was arrested in March in connection with the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) probe into the case of recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai and the subsequent murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.
( With inputs from ANI )
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