[BREAKING] Anil Deshmukh seeks default bail citing "incomplete" chargesheet; Mumbai court issues notice to CBI

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and his two associates have moved Mumbai court seeking default bail in the corruption case registered against them by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)..Deshmukh and other accused have sought bail on the ground that the chargesheet filed by the CBI is incomplete and hence they are entitled to invoke the remedy of statutory bail contemplated under Section 167 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).It was further contended that Deshmukh has not been provided with a copy of the chargesheet or given an access to the chargesheet yet."The Applicant states that the applicant has learned from media reports that only some 59 odd pages Chargesheet is filed in the present matter against the present Applicant. The Applicant submits that apparently an incomplete chargesheet is filed by the Investigating agency against the Applicant and hence the Applicant is entitled to invoke the remedy of statutory bail," the plea said.A special CBI judge on Wednesday issued notice to the CBI and sought its response to the plea.The plea filed through advocate Aniket Nikam, said that offences alleged against Deshmukh are not punishable for a term of not less than ten years, death or life imprisonment. Therefore, he is entitled for statutory bail under Section 167(2) of CrPC as the investigation has not been completed within 60 days of his remand.Deshmukh and the others were first arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in November 2021 in relation to the same case but for money laundering offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).CBI had also registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Deshmukh and unknown others on the basis of the findings in the preliminary inquiry initiated into the complaint of Dr. Jaishri Patil.The inquiry was initiated after a direction to that effect was issued on April 5, 2021 by the Bombay High Court in the plea filed by Param Bir Singh, former Commissioner of Mumbai Police.Post investigation, Deshmukh stood named in the FIR along with personal secretary Sanjeev Palande, personal assistant Kundan Shinde and dismissed Mumbai Police cop Sachin Waze whose names were added later on.Later, they were arrested by the CBI in the first week of April this year.They were in CBI custody till April 16 after which they were remanded to judicial custody..On June 1, the Special CBI Court allowed Waze’s application to become an approver and he was granted pardon. In light of that development, Waze is not arraigned as an accused in the case.The remaining three stand arraigned as accused in the case.Deshmukh is now in the judicial custody of the CBI Court as also the Special Court under the PMLA.