Enforcement Directorate on Thursday issued summons to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh’s son for questioning in an alleged money laundering case. Hrishikesh has been told to appear before the agency today. This development comes after a special PMLA court in Mumbai sent his father Anil Deshmukh to four days of ED custody till November 6 in the money laundering case. The court has also accepted his application for homemade food and medicines during his ED custody and as per the court order, his lawyers will also be allowed to be present during the interrogation.
Deshmukh has been arrested by the agency in connection with extortion and money laundering allegations levelled against him by the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. Singh had accused Deshmukh of asking dismissed assistant inspector Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore from hotels and bars in Mumbai every month. Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have called Deshmukh’s arrest a “politically motivated move” aimed to destabilise the three-party government. Hrishikesh Deshmukh was earlier summoned twice by the agency, but like his father, he too failed to appear before the federal agency mandated to probe money laundering. His father, Anil Deshmukh, was arrested by ED after questioning him for 12 hours on Monday on grounds that he was being evasive. It was the first time that the former home minister appeared before ED officials who had issued multiple summons seeking his appearance over the last four months.