CBI chargesheets Anil Deshmukh's daughter, daughter-in-law in clean chit report leak case

In a recent setback for former Maharashtra home minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Anil Deshmukh, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed charges against his daughter Pooja and daughter-in-law Rahat. This is in relation to the purported leaking of the agency's internal draft report in 2021, which had reportedly cleared the leader of any wrongdoing in an extortion case against him.

In its supplementary charge sheet filed before a special CBI court here, the agency has termed Pooja a co-conspirator who allegedly planned, directed and provided logistical support to Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Dilip Daga to bribe agency's sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari in order to get the draft report, official said.

The report was leaked to the media on August 29, 2021 to subvert the Bombay High Court-directed probe against him, the agency has alleged. The Bombay High Court had directed the CBI to probe allegations of extortion worth crores from Restaurants and Bars owners in Mumbai levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against Anil Deshmukh.

Bombay High Court had directed the CBI to probe allegations of extortion worth crores from Restaurants and Bars owners in Mumbai levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against Anil Deshmukh.

The CBI report leaked to the media purportedly mentioned that no cognisable offence has been committed by Anil Deshmukh. The agency had arrested its sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari and Deshmukh’s lawyer Daga in connection with the leakage and they were charged in 2021. CBI has also sent Letters Rogatory to the US through the Special CBI court here seeking email dumps of the accused, they said.

The agency has alleged that Pooja had directed Daga for the illegal procurement and leakage of case-related documents of the preliminary enquiry and FIR against the former minister with the intention to subvert the investigation. The WhatsApp conversation in WhatsApp groups Team And A and Inner Circle revealed that even the designing of pamphlets, naare (slogans) and printouts to create video content, tweets and photo banners against CBI investigation was done on the directions of Pooja Deshmukh, the agency has alleged.

CBI has alleged that Pooja sent an Innova car, used by her family, with her driver Kundan for Daga’s travel to HAL Guest house in Pune where Tiwari was staying. The register maintained at the entry gate of Dnyaneshwari Bungalow establishes the fact that the said vehicle was regularly used by the family members of Anil Deshmukh including Pooja Deshmukh, the charge sheet filed in August has alleged.