Court sends ex-Maha minister's lawyer, CBI sub-inspector to judicial custody in corruption case

A Delhi court on Monday refused to extend the CBI custody of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's lawyer, Anand Daga, and CBI sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari and remanded them to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a corruption case.

While Daga was arrested for allegedly trying to subvert the Bombay High Court-directed preliminary enquiry against the ex-minister, Tiwari was taken into custody for allegedly receiving bribes from the lawyer, the police said.

Special Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav sent the accused persons to jail after they were produced before the court on expiry of their four-day police custody.

The judge noted that the recoveries concerning both the accused were already done.

''In these circumstances, when the accused persons have remained in CBI custody for four days, there appears no reason to further extend their CBI custody as nothing new showing the nature of data extracted and the confrontation of same is before the court. Application stands declined,'' the judge said, while dismisisng CBI's plea seeking their 5-day further custodial interrogation.

The judge sent the accused persons to the judicial custody noting that the investigation in the case was ongoing.

The CBI had registered a case against its Sub-inspector; a Nagpur based advocate and unknown persons on certain allegations, including illegal gratification. A report of the preliminary enquiry (PE) purportedly giving clean chit to Deshmukh was leaked on earlier causing embarrassment to the agency.

The CBI started a probe into the leakage in which it emerged that findings of the PE were influenced.

''Attempt of Anil Deshmukh's team were in contempt of the Bombay High Court which had directed that all concerned should fully cooperate with the CBI while conducting the PE. In this case it has appeared that Deshmukh''s team tried to subvert the PE,'' the CBI said.

The CBI had started a PE on the orders of the Bombay High Court which had issued the direction while hearing a public interest litigation on allegations of corruption against Deshmukh.

In the FIR, the CBI had booked Deshmukh and other unidentified persons under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for ''attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty.'' Allegations against Deshmukh had surfaced after the removal of Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

He was removed after the role of policemen Sachin Waze surfaced into the case of an explosive-laden SUV which was found parked outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Waze was arrested by the NIA.

In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants of Mumbai, they said.

The FIR alleged that Deshmukh ''and others'' exercised undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials.