<p>The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Bombay High Court to consider expeditiously a plea for bail filed by NCP leader and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a money laundering case.</p>.<p>A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B V Nagarathna allowed Deshmukh to file a plea for early hearing before the High Court as his counsel senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, "he is a very sick man and 73 years old''.</p>.<p>In his submission, Sibal also pointed out that the bail plea by Deshmukh has not been taken up for hearing though it was filed on March 25. </p>.<p>"I only want my application to be heard. Let it be heard on reopening," he pleaded.</p>.<p>The bench noted that the bail plea filed on March 25 was listed on three occasions, and it appeared that due to paucity of time it could not be heard. </p>.<p>"We hope and trust that the matter will be expeditiously heard and that the application is taken on board and be heard expeditiously," the bench said.</p>.<p>The court disposed of the plea by Deshmukh questioning the High Court's repeated adjournment on his bail application.</p>.<p>Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in November last after several rounds of questioning and about six months after registration of a money-laundering case against him for obtaining illegal gratification from bar owners in Mumbai when he was in office as the minister. The ED's action had come after the CBI lodged an FIR against him in April 2021.</p>.<p>It was alleged that Deshmukh had received illegal gratification of approximately Rs 4.7 crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners between December 2020 and February 2021 through the Mumbai police assistant inspector Sachin Waze now dismissed.</p>.<p>Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had also accused Deshmukh of demanding a monthly sum of Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. <br /> </p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Bombay High Court to consider expeditiously a plea for bail filed by NCP leader and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a money laundering case.</p>.<p>A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B V Nagarathna allowed Deshmukh to file a plea for early hearing before the High Court as his counsel senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, "he is a very sick man and 73 years old''.</p>.<p>In his submission, Sibal also pointed out that the bail plea by Deshmukh has not been taken up for hearing though it was filed on March 25. </p>.<p>"I only want my application to be heard. Let it be heard on reopening," he pleaded.</p>.<p>The bench noted that the bail plea filed on March 25 was listed on three occasions, and it appeared that due to paucity of time it could not be heard. </p>.<p>"We hope and trust that the matter will be expeditiously heard and that the application is taken on board and be heard expeditiously," the bench said.</p>.<p>The court disposed of the plea by Deshmukh questioning the High Court's repeated adjournment on his bail application.</p>.<p>Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in November last after several rounds of questioning and about six months after registration of a money-laundering case against him for obtaining illegal gratification from bar owners in Mumbai when he was in office as the minister. The ED's action had come after the CBI lodged an FIR against him in April 2021.</p>.<p>It was alleged that Deshmukh had received illegal gratification of approximately Rs 4.7 crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners between December 2020 and February 2021 through the Mumbai police assistant inspector Sachin Waze now dismissed.</p>.<p>Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had also accused Deshmukh of demanding a monthly sum of Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. <br /> </p>
