Former state home minister, Anil Deshmukh, and his son Hrishikesh skipped summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the fifth time. A probe in on against the duo in connection with the money laundering case.
However, Deshmukh submitted a written response to the ED’s summons through his legal representative Inderpal B Singh on Wednesday. In his letter, Deshmukh said till the appropriate orders are passed by the courts where he seeks lawful remedies, his statement may be recorded through any electronic medium of the agency’s choice.
“At the outset, I may submit that you have chosen to issue summons immediately after the hearing of my writ petition before the Supreme Court (SC) without awaiting the text of the order to be uploaded on the court’s website and without reading the contents thereof. As you are aware that with respect to the ED's ECIR, I have approached the SC, seeking various reliefs, including laying challenge to the validity of various provisions of the PMLA and quashing the ECIR in question,” the letter stated.
“…the said petition had come up for hearing before the SC on August 16 and the court passed an order from which it is abundantly clear that the SC has made it open for me to take recourse to all appropriate remedies available under CrPC, including filing of a quashing petition. Please take note that in accordance with the leave and liberty granted by the SC, I am taking recourse to lawful remedies for the protection of my liberty and such other reliefs relating to violation of the procedure established by the law by the ED in commencement and contribution of the investigations. The said recourse shall be taken in a day or two,” it said.
The ED had issued a fifth summon to Deshmukh and Hrishikesh on Tuesday, a day after the SC told Deshmukh to go to the appropriate court to seek interim relief.
On June 25, the ED had arrested Deshmukh’s personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
