Anil Deshmukh’s aide tried to track location of CBI officers in bribery case

The charge sheet in a case related to the leakage of a confidential report, which supposedly exonerated former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh, states that a close associate of Deshmukh attempted to trace the location of CBI officers who were investigating a bribery case against him, as per the agency's allegations.

The draft report of the agency giving a purported clean chit to Anil Deshmukh, who was facing large-scale bribery allegations, was leaked to the media on August 29, 2021. Following this, the CBI arrested Anil Deshmukh’s lawyer Anand Daga and the agency’s Sub-Inspector Abhishek Tiwari. The two were charge-sheeted later that year, PTI reported.

According to the supplementary charge sheet filed in August of this year, the CBI has accused Daga of divulging the mobile numbers of the CBI investigating officer and supervisory officers involved in the bribery case against Anil Deshmukh. The information was allegedly shared with Vikrant Deshmukh, a distant relative, on June 7, 2021.

According to the CBI, Vikrant Deshmukh managed the ex-minister’s financial accounts under the guise of an education trust. The CBI alleged that Vikrant Deshmukh was part of the conspiracy to leak the documents. On June 8, 2021, Daga tasked Vikrant Deshmukh with getting the locations of the CBI officers and the latter agreed to do it, the agency said.

It has alleged that Vikrant Deshmukh was part of the conspiracy with Daga to subvert the ongoing CBI investigation by illegally procuring the confidential document as well as trying to track the movements of the investigating and supervisory officers, the supplementary charge sheet said.

The leaked report pertained to a preliminary enquiry (PE) registered by the CBI on April 6, 2021 against Anil Deshmukh, the then Maharashtra home minister, on the directives of the Bombay High Court. The court order came after former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh levelled corruption allegations against Anil Deshmukh, PTI reported.

In its PE findings, investigating DSP opined that a cognizable offence is made out in the matter wherein Anil Deshmukh and others have attempted to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty.