Bombay High Court stated on Tuesday that the appeal submitted in a case of money laundering from former Maharashtra’s home minister Anil Deshmukh would be considered by the division (including two magistrates) rather than a single judge.
The objection expressed by the High Court registry department that a division bench should consider the concerns addressed in the plea is “valid,” according to a single bench led by Justice SK Shinde. Justice Shinde ordered the registration department to file Mr Deshmukh’s petition with the relevant division bench for a hearing.
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Mr Deshmukh filed the plea earlier this month, seeking to have the Enforcement Directorate‘s (ED) five summonses dismissed. When the case came up for hearing before Justice Shinde last week, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Enforcement Directorate, drew a letter from the registry department to the attention of the High Court that a division bench should hear the petition.
Anil Deshmukh’s senior attorney Vikram Chaudhri and advocate Aniket Nikam argued that the single bench heard the case. The court had previously stated that it would review the matter and make orders.
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After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a complaint against Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh and his colleagues on April 21, the Enforcement Directorate launched an investigation into him and his collaborators. In his petition, Mr Deshmukh alleged that the Enforcement Directorate’s action was motivated by political vengeance.
