Ex-minister Anil Deshmukh to appear in court today as part of money-laundering case

Ex-Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh's custody period under the Enforcement Directorate is set to end today as he is also scheduled for an appearance before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Saturday. Deshmukh was arrested after an investigation into a case where he allegedly extorted ₹100 crore.

Deshmukh was forced to resign his post earlier this year after ex-Minbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged that he had ordered disgraced policeman Sachin Waze to extort crores from hotels and bars in Mumbai. Deshmukh denied all charges, citing that the allegations were made after Singh lost his position as chief.

The National Congress Party was arrested under the provisions of the PMLA as ED officials claimed that the politician was evasive during questioning. He appeared before ED for the first time on Monday after skipping multiple summons for the last four months. His son Hrishikesh was also summoned for questioning on Friday.

ED officials said its investigation revealed that through hawala channels, they money extorted from Mumbai was sent to the Delhi-based Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain who operated bogus companies. The Jain brothers are alleged to have diverted this money as donations to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan, a trust controlled by the Deshmukh family.