Supreme Court upholds bail granted to Anil Deshmukh by Bombay High Court in corruption case

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the bail granted by Bombay High Court to former Maharashtra Home Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deskhmukh in connection with a corruption case against him [Central Bureau of Investigation vs Anil Deshmukh]. .A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices V Ramasubramanian and JB Pardiwala rejected the appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the Bombay High Court order.The top court noted that Deshmukh was granted bail earlier in the case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the same set of transactions."He has been granted bail in the PMLA case as well. SLP dismissed. Same observations as in PMLA case," the Court directed..The CBI moved the Supreme Court contending that the High Court failed to consider that socio-economic offences needed to be viewed differently, and that the accused still holds considerable clout in the State.Deshmukh is embroiled in two investigations arising from same allegation - one by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for offence of corruption and the other by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the offence of money laundering.Deshmukh and his associates are being investigated for alleged corruption between 2019 and 2021.Based on findings of a preliminary investigation into a complaint of advocate Dr. Jaishri Patil, the CBI booked Deshmukh and unknown others. The inquiry was launched after the Bombay High Court issued a direction to that effect on April 5, 2021, in response to a petition filed by Param Bir Singh, former Commissioner of Mumbai Police.Based on this FIR of CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a case of money laundering offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Deshmukh and arrested him in November 2021. He was remanded to ED custody that was extended till November 15 by the High Court. Thereafter he was remanded to judicial custody where he remains till date.Deshmukh was later apprehended by the CBI in the first week of April this year. He was detained by the CBI until April 16 before being remanded to judicial custody.Deshmukh was granted bail in the money laundering case by the Bombay High Court on October 4. However, in the CBI case, the special court refused him bail, and the same was challenged by Deshmukh before the High Court.The Bombay High Court had, on December 12, granted bail to Deshmukh in the CBI case.Deshmukh was directed to be released on bail on furnishing bail bond in the sum of ₹1 lakh with one or more sureties. It had, however, stayed its order to enable CBI to file appeal before the top court. A vacation bench of the High Court had last month refused to extend the stay on its bail order after which Deshmukh was released from prison. .[Read Supreme Court order]