Aug 03, 2024 07:46 PM IST
Ex-Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh had accused Anil Deshmukh of asking dismissed Sachin Vaze to collect money from Mumbai’s bars
The Maharashtra bribery controversy, which led to the resignation and subsequent arrest of then state home minister Anil Deshmukh in 2021, has resurfaced months before the assembly election.
Sachin Vaze, the dismissed assistant police inspector who is accused of planting explosives in a car outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia, claimed that he has submitted all evidence in a letter to incumbent deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Rejecting allegations, Deshmukh has claimed it was a “new move’ against him by Fadnavis, who has assured a proper inquiry. The Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), which ruled the state when the controversy exploded three years ago, has rallied behind Deshmukh.
Here’s a complete lowdown of the entire ‘Briberygate’ controversy that shook Maharashtra in 2021.
Ex-Mumbai top cop’s bribery allegation
On March 20, 2021, Param Bir Singh, the then outgoing Mumbai Police commissioner, dropped a bombshell against Deshmukh. Replaced as the city’s top cop just days ago, Singh in a letter to then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray alleged that Deshmukh asked Vaze to collect ₹100 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. The allegations were levelled at a time when the Antilia bomb scare case was being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
On April 6, Deshmukh resigned as state home minister after the Bombay high court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into charges against him.
On November 2 that year, Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after being questioned for 12 hours in connection with the federal agency’s money laundering probe into extortion charges against him. In 2022, he was granted bail by the Bombay high court.
The high court had said that none of the witnesses except Vaze stated that the money was collected from bar owners at the behest of Deshmukh. The court also said that it would not be proper to prolong the NCP(SP) leader’s incarceration merely on the statement of Vaze, especially since his career in police force was shrouded in controversies and he himself faces several serious criminal charges.
What ED had alleged
In its probe, ED had alleged that Deshmukh had misused his position as state home minister and collected ₹4.7 crore from orchestra bars in Mumbai. The money was routed to two Delhi-based brothers who operated bogus firms, the agency claimed.
This money was then allegedly sent to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan – a trust controlled by the Deshmukh family – under the garb of donations, at the behest of the former minister’s son Hrishikesh.
Sachin Vaze’s statement to ED and U-turns
Vaze, currently in jail after being arrested by the NIA in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case and the killing of businessman Mansukh Hiren, gave three statements to the ED naming Deshmukh.
However, in his statement before the Justice (retired) KU Chandiwal Commission, the dismissed cop in a U-turn claimed that Deshmukh and his office staff never made any demands for money from him.
Vaze even claimed he did not collect money from any bar owners and therefore he did not have to hand over any money to the personal secretary of the then home minister.
Vaze has now claimed that he submitted all evidence against Deshmukh to Fadnavis, saying,”Whatever has happened, the proof is there. The money used to go through his (Anil Deshmukh) PA, CBI has the proof and I have also written a letter to Devendra Fadnavis. I have submitted all the evidence. In the letter that I have written, I have given the name of Jayant Patil as well.”
Deshmukh’s allegation against Fadnavis
Earlier in July, Deshmukh had alleged that Fadnavis asked him to write four affidavits against Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Ajit Pawar and Anil Parab.
“Three years ago Devendra Fadnavis sent a man to me and asked me to write four affidavits. I was asked to make written allegations against Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Ajit Pawar and Anil Parab. Devendra Fadnavis sent the affidavits and asked me to sign them. I was told that if I did this, then neither ED nor CBI would come after me,” ANI quoted the NCP(SP) leader as saying.
On Vaze’s claim, Fadnavis had said,”I learnt about it (Waze’s claim) from the media. Media reported that Sachin Waze had sent me a letter. I have not yet seen the letter as I have been in Nagpur for the last two days. I will find out if such a letter is received and respond. We would certainly conduct a proper inquiry into emerging (disclosures).”
(With agency inputs)
The Hindustan Times YouTube channel now has 7 million subscribers. We thank our viewers for their support. Follow the channel for exclusive video news on politics, sports, entertainment & more. Click here.
See more
Story Saved
