CBI moves SC to quash bail granted to Anil Deshmukh in corruption case

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court granting bail to former Maharashtra Home Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case.

In its order on December 12, the High Court had given a window of 10 days to the CBI to appeal against its order of bail. Deshmukh is under custody, since his arrest on November 2 last year. He is charged with alleged illegal gratification from the drinking bar owners and corruption in the transfers and postings in Maharashtra Police.

The Bombay High Court had earlier granted bail to the former Home Minister in a money laundering case, which the Supreme Court refused to set aside.

CBI had lodged a case against Deshmukh for offences under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

Its petition claims a cognizable offence against Deshmukh along with unknown others in attempting to obtain undue advantage of improper and dishonest performance of the public duty. It states the High Court has committed grave error while granting bail as it failed to consider the consequence of granting bail to Deshmukh despite further inquiry still in progress.

"The High Court failed to appreciate that the economic offences are required to be treated as a separate category of offences and bail in such offences is not granted as a routine matter. Usually, socio-economic offences have deep-rooted conspiracies affecting the moral fibre of the society and causing irreparable harm, need to be considered seriously."