Deshmukh graft case: CBI completes enquiry, to submit report to HC soon
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is conducting a preliminary enquiry into the corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, is on the verge of completing its enquiry, said CBI sources. The Bombay high court, earlier this month, had asked the agency to complete its enquiry in a period of fifteen days. CBI officials said that the agency has time till April 20, but the team of CBI officials who had come from Delhi have returned back after conducting an inquiry.
CBI sources said a report on the inquiry is being readied which will be put before the legal team of CBI, and then the CBI Director will take a final call on what further legal action needs to be taken.
The agency would then inform the complainant in the case, advocate Jayshri Patil about their finding whether an offence can be made out into it, and if an FIR will be registered.
"We found a lot of information during the enquiry with regards to the corruption allegations. We have made enquiries with Singh, suspended assistant inspector Sachin Vaze and assistant commissioner of police Sanjay Patil, twice. We have also recorded statements of Anil Deshmukh, his personal assistants Kundan Shinde and Sanjeev Palande, deputy commissioner of police Raju Bhujbal, advocate Jayshree Patil, two drivers of Vaze and a Bar owner from Kandivali," said a CBI official.
CBI sources said, the complainant in the case has provided them lot of evidences in the form of documentary evidences and the witnesses. The agency has inquired with those witnesses too and have got several electronic evidences including written and oral communication along with the call details record to corroborate the allegations.
Param Bir Singh, in his letter written last month to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had claimed and alleged that "Sachin Vaze who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police was called by Deshmukh, to his official residence Dyaneshwar several times in last few months and repeatedly instructed to assist in collection of funds for the Home Minister.”
Singh had alleged that in and around mid-February and thereafter, the Home Minister had called Vaze to his official residence. At that time, one or two staff members of the Home Minister including his personal secretary, Palande, were also present. “The Home Minister expressed to Vaze that he had a target to accumulate Rs. 100 crores a month. For achieving the aforesaid target, the Home Minister told Vaze that there are about 1,750 bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai and if a sum of Rs 2-3 lakhs each was collected from each of them, a monthly collection of Rs. 40-50 crores was achievable. The Home Minister added that the rest of the collection could be made from other sources," Singh had alleged.
Deshmukh had denied all the charges made by Singh. Following an order of the Bombay High Court, the CBI on April 06 registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) to probe the allegations against Deshmukh.