No relief for former Maha Home Minister

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday did not grant any protection from arrest to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on his plea seeking protection from any "coercive action" in the money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar has scheduled the matter for hearing on August 3. "List this plea on August 3 along with connected cases, so that similar orders are passed in all cases with regard to no coercive action," said the bench.

The ED had issued summons to Deshmukh, a Nationalist Congress Party leader, and his son Hrishikesh seeking their appearance. Deshmukh, who had skipped the previous summonses by the agency, had, in the plea to the top court, challenged these summonses and sought protection for both himself and his son.

Deshmukh has been accused of extortion from a bunch of Mumbai orchestra bars and money laundering, and the matter is being probed by the ED. It has been alleged that Rs 4.7 crore was collected as "extortion" from the orchestra bars by now-dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze allegedly on Deshmukh's instructions. Later, this amount was transferred to Deshmukh's Nagpur-based educational trust by his son, Hrishikesh. According to the allegation, the transaction was routed via two hawala operators and was showed as a "donation". (IANS)

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