News Analysis India

Tag: CBI

  • Nobody above law: NCP, Sena on CBI action against Anil Deshmukh

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: With the CBI conducting searches at the premises of former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh, the NCP on Saturday said nobody was above the law, but added that the truth behind the “political conspiracy” against him and the state government would come out through the high court-ordered probe.

    Talking to reporters, NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said, “Nobody is above the law. Anil Deshmukh is cooperating with the agencies.”

    He said he was not aware if any FIR has been registered against Deshmukh.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is yet to reveal for whom suspended police officer Sachin Waze was working when he planted explosives outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Malik said.

    “What was the role of former Mumbai police commissioner (Param Bir Singh) in the case. All these actions are taking place based on the ex-commissioner’s letter,” he alleged.

    “This is nothing but misuse of power to malign the state government and Anil Deshmukh. We have full faith in the judiciary and know that the truth behind the political conspiracy will be exposed through the probe,” he said.

    The CBI on Saturday conducted searches at Deshmukh’s premises in Mumbai and his hometown Nagpur after registering a case against him in connection with allegations of corruption levelled against him by Param Bir Singh.

    Deshmukh, an NCP leader, had resigned as a minister earlier this month after the high court asked the CBI to probe the allegations against him.

    Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also said that nobody was above the law.

    “It is not correct to comment on CBI’s action. Anil Deshmukh had already given his statement in the case. CBI is doing its work, similarly high court and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government are doing their own work,” he said.

    “If there is a political agenda in the case against Anil Deshmukh, then the MVA government will take a stand. Hope the action against Deshmukh is restricted to directives of the high court,” he said.

    On March 25, Param Bir Singh had filed criminal public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe against Deshmukh, who, he claimed, had asked police officers, including suspended cop Sachin Waze, to extort Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.

    The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress share power in Maharashtra.

  • CBI registers FIR against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in alleged bribery case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered an FIR against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with allegations of bribery against him and carried out searches at various locations in Mumbai on Saturday, officials said.

    The probe agency had carried out a preliminary enquiry on the orders of the Bombay High Court to look into bribery allegations against him levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, they said.

    According to the officials, during the enquiry, the CBI got enough prima facie material to start a formal probe by registering a regular case against Deshmukh and other unidentified persons under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

    After registering the case, the CBI started a search operation at a number of locations, including the premises of Deshmukh, in Mumbai, they said.

    On March 25, Param Bir Singh had filed criminal public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe against Deshmukh who, he claimed, had asked police officers, including suspended cop Sachin Waze, to extort Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.

    Waze is facing an NIA probe in the case of explosive-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai.

    Singh had initially approached the Supreme Court, alleging he was transferred from the post of Mumbai police commissioner after he complained to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and other senior leaders about the “corrupt malpractices” of Deshmukh.

    The apex court had termed the matter as quite serious but asked Singh to approach the high court.

    Singh then filed the PIL in the high court, reiterating his allegations against Deshmukh and seeking an “immediate, unbiased, impartial” probe by the CBI against Deshmukh, who is an NCP leader.

    The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress share power in Maharashtra.

  • Court acquits Chhota Rajan, aide of murdering Mumbai blasts accused Hanif Kadawala

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted underworld don Chhota Rajan and his aide in connection with the murder of Hanif Kadawala, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case.

    Rajan, 62, and his associate Jaggnath Jaiswal, charged with murder and other offences under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was acquitted by special CBI court judge A T Wankhede.

    Kadawala transported weapons to Mumbai on the instructions of Tiger Memon, a key accused in the terror attack, and they were used in the 1993 blasts, which had killed more than 250 people.

    Kadawala was killed on February 7, 2001, in his office here by three men.

    The CBI, which probed the murder case, had alleged that Rajan ordered the killing of Kadawala to gain publicity.

    Prior to this, Rajan had ordered the killing of several other blasts accused, the central agency had said. Rajan and his aide were acquitted by the court for want of evidence, their lawyers said.

    There was no evidence against Rajan. In fact, it is on record that the contract of killing Kadawala was given by the Guru Satam gang and Ravi Pujari gang. 

    “Rajans name was mentioned in this case only to misguide the investigating agency,” Rajans lawyer Tushar Khandare said.

    It was for want of cogent evidence that both the accused were let off by the court, Jaiswal’s lawyer said.

  • SC asks CBI to conduct further probe into role of erring cops in ISRO espionage case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday ordered that the report of a high-level committee on the role of erring police officials in 1994 espionage case relating to ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan be given to the CBI and directed the agency to conduct further investigation on the issue.

    The apex court said the CBI may treat the panel’s findings as part of preliminary investigation and asked the agency to submit its report to the court within three months.

    A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said the report of the three-member panel, headed by former top court judge Justice (retd) D K Jain, be kept in a sealed cover and it should not be published.

    The top court rejected the submission of former DGP Siby Mathews, who was then heading the SIT probe team, that he was not heard by the committee while Narayanan was heard.

    The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Krishna Murari, said the committee was not to adjudicate the matter but it had to go through circumstantial evidence and form a prima facie view on the acts of omission and commission of erring officials.

    The apex court was hearing the Centre’s plea seeking consideration of the report filed by the committee regarding the role of erring police officials in espionage case relating to Narayanan, who had been acquitted and was eventually awarded Rs 50 lakh compensation by the top court.

    On April 5, the Centre had moved the top court seeking urgent hearing and consideration of the panel’s report terming it as a “national issue”.

    The apex court had appointed the panel on September 14, 2018 while directing the Kerala government to cough up Rs 50 lakh compensation for compelling Narayanan to undergo “immense humiliation”.

    It had ordered setting up of the committee to take appropriate steps against the erring officials for causing “tremendous harassment” and “immeasurable anguish” to Narayanan and had directed the Centre and state government to nominate one officer each in the panel.

    Terming the police action against the ex-scientist of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a “psycho-pathological treatment”, the apex court had in September 2018 said that his “liberty and dignity”, basic to his human rights, were jeopardised as he was taken into custody and, eventually, despite all the glory of the past, was compelled to face “cynical abhorrence”.

    The espionage case, which had hit the headlines in 1994, pertained to allegations of transfer of certain confidential documents on India’s space programme to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women.

    The scientist was arrested when the Congress was heading the government in Kerala.

    The three-member investigation panel had submitted its report in a sealed cover to the apex court recently.

    The CBI, in its probe, had held that the then top police officials in Kerala were responsible for Narayanan’s illegal arrest.

    The case also had its political fallout, with a section in the Congress targeting the then Chief Minister late K Karunakaran over the issue, that eventually led to his resignation.

    Over a period of almost two-and-a-half years, the panel headed by Justice Jain examined the circumstances leading to the arrest.

    The 79-year-old former scientist, who was given a clean chit by the CBI, had earlier said that the Kerala police had “fabricated” the case and the technology he was accused to have stolen and sold in the 1994 case did not even exist at that time.

    Narayanan had approached the apex court against a Kerala High Court judgement that said no action needed to be taken against former DGP Siby Mathews, who was then heading the SIT probe team, and two retired superintendents of police K K Joshua and S Vijayan, who were later held responsible by the CBI for the scientist’s illegal arrest.

    “There can be no scintilla of doubt that the appellant, a successful scientist having national reputation, has been compelled to undergo immense humiliation. The lackadaisical attitude of the state police to arrest anyone and put him in police custody has made the appellant to suffer the ignominy,” the apex court had said in its September 2018 order.

    “The dignity of a person gets shocked when psycho-pathological treatment is meted out to him. A human being cries for justice when he feels that the insensible act has crucified his self-respect,” the top court had said.

    It had accepted Narayanan’s plea that the authorities, who were responsible for causing such a “harrowing effect” on his mind, should face “legal consequences”.

    The CBI, while giving clean chit to the scientist, had said that Siby Mathews had left “the entire investigation to IB surrendering his duties” and ordered indiscriminate arrest of the scientist and others without adequate evidence being on record.

    The case had caught attention in October 1994, when Maldivian national Rasheeda was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines to sell to Pakistan.

    Narayanan, the then director of the cryogenic project at ISRO, was arrested along with the then ISRO Deputy Director D Sasikumaran, and Fousiya Hasan, a Maldivian friend of Rasheeda.

  • CBI calls former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on Wednesday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI has called former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on Wednesday in connection with allegations of corruption levelled against him by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh and suspended officer Sachin Waze, officials said.

    Waze, an assistant police inspector, is under investigation in the case of an explosive-laden SUV found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai.

    The notice calling Deshmukh to join the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was issued on Monday morning, a day after his two aides Sanjeev Palande and Kundan recorded their statements before the agency, the officials said.

    The CBI is carrying out a preliminary inquiry into allegations against Deshmukh levelled by Singh after he was removed from the coveted post of Mumbai Police commissioner.

    The allegations were reportedly corroborated by Waze in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the SUV case, they said.

    The Bombay High Court had last week directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations levelled by Singh against Deshmukh.

      In a letter, Singh had said that Deshmukh had asked Waze to allegedly extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai, the officials said.

  • Deshmukh’s aides grilled in extortion case; NIA arrests Sachin Waze’s associate

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The CBI on Sunday questioned two personal staffers of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the allegations of extortion leveled against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh.

    Deshmukh’s personal assistant Kundan Shinde and personal secretary Sanjeev Palande appeared before the CBI team in connection with its ongoing preliminary enquiry at the DRDO guest house in Santacruz.

    Parambir Singh, in his explosive letter, had claimed that Palande was present when Deshmukh had allegedly asked Sachin Waze to extort Rs 100 crore each month from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Waze, too, in his statement to the NIA had claimed that Shinde was present during one such conversation. Waze has since been arrested by the NIA in the Antilia bomb scare case.

    The CBI has so far recorded the statements of Singh, Sachin Waze, DCP Raju Bhujbal, ACP Sanjay Patil, advocate Jayshree Patil, a petitioner, and hotel owner Mahesh Shetty. Singh had moved the Bombay High Court after he was shunted out as the Mumbai Police Commissioner and dissed by Deshmukh.

    Taking note of the serious ness of the allegations, the HC had ordered a preliminary enquiry into the case by CBI and set a 15-day deadline for its report. Hours after the April 5 HC order, Deshmukh had resigned from the cabinet.

    Meanwhile, the NIA on Sunday arrested police officer Riyaz Kazi, an associate of suspended cop Sachin Waze, in connection with the case of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, a police official said.

    After his arrest, Kazi was produced before a holiday court here which remanded him in the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) custody till April 16 for further probe into the case.

    “Assistant police inspector (API) Kazi was called for questioning again by the NIA on Sunday and later placed under arrest,” the police official said.

    He was previously also questioned multiple times by the NIA in connection with the case of the SUV with explosives found near Ambani’s multi-storey residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai on February 25 and the subsequent death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    Kazi was shunted out of the Mumbai Crime Branch last month, the official said.

    After Kazi was presented in the court on Sunday, the NIA told the court that he was arrested for destroying evidences and that he is involved in the conspiracy of the case along with Waze, the main accused in the case.

    While seeking his remand for 10 days, the prosecution said that when the NIA startedconducting a parallel probe soon after explosives-laden vehicle was found, the accused allegedly killed Hiran fearing that he will disclose their plan.

    The prosecution also submitted that Kazi was well aware of the crime.

    After the case was transferred to the central agency, the accused started destroying evidences like CPU and DVR and others, the NIA told the court.

    Kazi’s custody is required to confront him with every recovered article, documents, witnesses.

    Waze has given half the facts andKazi’s interrogation iss required to find out under whose guidance he destroyed the evidence, it said.

    He also needs to be interrogated about the source of the gelatin sticks (found in the SUV).

    Opposing the remand plea, Kazi’s lawyer, Hasnain Kazi, argued that his client was not involved in the destruction of evidence.

    The accused has been going to the NIA office for interrogation since the last20 days and co-operating with theinvestigation, hence his custody was not required, the lawyer said.

    After hearing both the sides, the judge remanded the accused to NIA’s custody till April 16.

    According to police, in a CCTV footage, Kazi was seen entering a number plates shop in suburban Vikhroli and having a conversation with the outlet’s owner.

    He was also seen taking away a digital video recorder and a computer of the shop.

    Kazi was also seen collecting CCTV footage from Waze’s housing complex in neighbouring Thane, the official said.

    The probe agency suspects that Kazi assisted Waze in obtaining fake number plates used for the SUV found with explosives near Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai, he said.

    Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    The NIA arrested Waze on March 13 in connection with its probe into the case.

    The probe agency had also arrested former policeman Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gor.

    All the three are currently in judicial custody.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Param Bir vs Anil Deshmukh: Former Maharashtra Home Minister’s assistants called for questioning

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI on Sunday called personal assistants of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning in connection with allegations of corruption levelled against him by ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, officials said.

    Sanjeev Palande and Kundan have been asked to appear before the CBI team for questioning in connection with the preliminary enquiry registered by the agency on the directives of the Bombay High Court, they said.

    In a letter, Singh had alleged that Palande was present when Deshmukh allegedly asked suspended cop Sachin Waze, facing NIA probe in the case of explosive laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house, to allegedly extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants of Mumbai, they said.

    Waze, in his statement, had reportedly claimed that Kundan was present during one such conversation.

    The agency started its preliminary inquiry into allegations of bribery against Deshmukh on Tuesday on the orders of the high court.

    It sent a team of officers from Delhi to Mumbai to carry out the probe.

    The CBI has already questioned Waze, Singh and other officers of the Mumbai Police.

  • Preliminary Enquiry against Anil Deshmukh: CBI reviews documents, statements

    As the PE ordered by the Bombay High Court is time- bound, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is preparing an action plan to be adopted during the probe.

  • CBI books 1989-batch civil servant couple in Rs 5.5 crore DA case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI carried out searches on Friday at the premises of 1989-batch civil service couple Alka and Amit Jain after booking them for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore, officials said.

    The searches were spread out at Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, they said.

    Alka Jain is an IRS officer and Amit Jain an IRES officer.

  • Security threat to Ambanis: Ajit Pawar refutes charges made against him by Waze; CBI seeks access to case papers

    By PTI
    PUNE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the allegations made by suspended police officer Sachin Waze against him in a letter were completely false and he had neither met the cop nor spoken to him ever.

    Pawar called for an inquiry into the allegations to make things crystal clear.

    His remarks come a day after Waze claimed in his letter that he was approached by one Darshan Ghodawat, who introduced himself as a “very close circle person” of junior Pawar, and insisted him (Waze) to collect a monthly amount of Rs 100 crore from illegal gutka sellers.

    “I laughed when I saw my name in the letter. I never met him (Waze), nor I have spoken to him ever. Everyone knows my strict working style. So conduct an inquiry,” Pawar told reporters.

    “Let there be an inquiry and there will be ‘doodh ka dhoodh, pani ka pani’ (things will become crystal clear),” he said, adding that the allegations made in the letter were completely false.

    He was speaking on the sidelines of campaigning for the upcoming bypoll for the Pandharpur-Mangalvedha assembly constituency.

    Waze, who was reinstated in the police force last year, made the sensational claim in a letter which he tried to submit before a special NIA court in Mumbai on Wednesday.

    However, special judge PR Sitre refused to take his letter on record.

    Waze, an accused in the case of an explosives-laden car found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai and the death of businessman Mansukh Hiran, is currently in the National Investigation Agency’s custody.

    Pawar added that an attempt to destabilise the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was on.

    “For the last three days, it has been going on that another wicket will fall (another minister will resign). I do not understand how these people can know such things in advance,” he said.

    When asked about the blame game that is going on between Centre and the state over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Pawar said the state is not getting enough number of vaccines.

    “In haste, the Centre sent vaccines to other countries. I can understand that the neighbourly relations need to be maintained with other countries, but at the same time, the Centre should fulfil the states’ requirement,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the CBI on Thursday approached a special NIA court here seeking access to papers of the case related to bomb scare at Mukesh Ambani’s house for its preliminary enquiry into allegations of corruption against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

    The CBI’s latest plea came a day after special NIA judge PR Sitre allowed the central agency’s application to question Waze.

    Waze (49) was arrested on March 13 for his alleged role in the case of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambanis house, ‘Antilia’, in south Mumbai on February 25 and the subsequent death of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    The CBI claimed documents related to the explosives case will aid it in questioning Waze.

    The special court kept the matter for hearing on Friday.

    Following an order of the Bombay High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) late Tuesday night registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to probe corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh.

    Singh was shifted from the post of Mumbai police commissioner to the Home Guards department on March 17.

    The IPS officer later filed a petition in the HC seeking a CBI probe against Deshmukh, alleging the NCP leader had asked Waze and other police officers to extort Rs 100 crore from restaurants and bars.

    Deshmukh, who has rejected allegations levelled against him, resigned from the cabinet on April 5 after the HC order.