CBI Takes Anil Deshmukh Into Custody As Bombay HC Judge Recuses From Hearing His Plea

The CBI has taken custody of former Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh after Justice Revati Mohite Dere of the Bombay High Court today recused from herein his plea.

Deshmukh had approached the Bombay High Court challenging a special court order allowing the CBI to take him into custody in connection with its probe into corruption allegations against him.

Deshmukh, in his petition filed through Advocate Aniket Nikam on Monday, had also challenged the application filed by the CBI seeking his custody.

On March 31, a special CBI court allowed an application filed by the CBI and permitted it to take into custody Deshmukh and three others - Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde (Deshmukh's former aides) and dismissed cop Sachin Waze.

Deshmukh, Palande and Shinde are in judicial custody following their arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case late last year.

Waze is in jail after his arrest by the NIA in the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran killing case.

The CBI on Monday arrested Waze, Shinde and Palande and they were remanded to the agency's custody till April 11 by a court here.

The central agency, however, could not take Deshmukh (71) in custody as he was admitted to the state- run JJ Hospital on April 2 following a shoulder dislocation.

Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had in March last year alleged that Deshmukh, the then-home minister, had given a target to select police officers in Mumbai to collect Rs 100 crore per month from restaurants and bars.

Deshmukh had denied the allegations.

The CBI had lodged an FIR after conducting a preliminary enquiry against the NCP leader following an order of the Bombay High Court in last April. After the HC order, Deshmukh had resigned from the state cabinet.

With PTI inputs