Maharashtra govt creating stumbling block in Anil Deshmukh probe, CBI tells SC

The CBI on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the State of Maharashtra was creating several stumbling blocks in its probe against former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

In an affidavit, the agency said, “It prima facie appears that there is clearly an attempt to meddle in the court entrusted investigation carried on by the CBI and further, an attempt to jeopardize the same. In such circumstances, it is requested that this court may exercise powers vested with it in order to ensure that such attempts by various quarters are thwarted once and for all”.

The CBI also cited the chat transcript of Maharashtra DGP Sanjay Pandey given by Param Bir Singh.

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Taking up a plea by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, a bench presided over by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, however, said it is a “very disturbing scenario” in Maharashtra, where the IPS officer has no faith in the police force, which he headed recently, and the state government has no faith in CBI.

Senior advocate Puneet Bali, representing Singh, on the contrary, submitted that his client was being targeted. He claimed the matter was handed over to the CBI, but the state government has tried to scuttle the proceedings of the CBI.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, said this is a matter of chain of events.

Senior advocate Darius Khambata, representing the Maharashtra government, contended that the top court will have to look into this matter.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh said: “This is the same police force that you headed. Now, the head of the police force has no trust in the police force. The administration has no trust... This is a disturbing scenario.” The bench also queried whether there was a possibility to resolve this matter peacefully.

Mehta submitted the state is creating several stumbling blocks in its probe against Deshmukh and making CBI’s job difficult.

Bali added that the Maharashtra government has started departmental action against his client in the same cases where FIR has been registered.

The top court, however, extended the protection from arrest granted to Singh in the cases and scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 27.

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