I-T raids at premises linked to Deshmukh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 17
Income Tax (I-T) sleuths today conducted searches at multiple premises linked to Maharashtra ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh as part of their investigation into an alleged tax evasion case.
According to officials, the raids were carried out in Mumbai and Nagpur (Maharashtra) as well as Jaipur in Rajasthan. The 71-year-old Deshmukh is already being probed by the CBI for allegation of payment of purported kickbacks in the police establishment of Maharashtra and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of alleged money laundering.
The I-T action covers educational institutions run or managed by the former minister or his family members or their close associates, certain offices, and residential premises.
The ED case against Deshmukh and others came after the CBI booked him in the corruption case related to allegations of at least Rs 100 crore bribe made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The former Maharashtra home minister had said that Singh made the allegations against him, as he was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner. Incidentally, Deshmukh has skipped at least five ED summons for questioning in the case and has instead suggested for the agency to interact with him over an online link saying he was a “law abiding citizen”.
Deshmukh resigned in April after the allegations surfaced following the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV parked near the residence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
On Thursday, the state government suspended Deshmukh’s former personal secretary Sanjiv Palande — an officer of additional collector rank — after his arrest by the ED on June 26 in the same case.
