CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) has put forward a plea in the Bombay High Court alleging Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) government isn’t cooperating in investigations of the extortion case against ex-Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh. The plea also states that CBI officials are receiving threats from a Mumbai ACP in this regard.

The bench took note of the complaint and has accordingly issued a notice to the MVA government while posting the matter for further hearing on 11 August. The court order says “We are issuing notice to the government. Some ACP is threatening the CBI officers. Find out what the situation is. Please do not create an unfair situation that we have to take them (police) to task. Please ensure that the directions given by this court and the order passed earlier are followed in letter and spirit”.

Furthermore, the court has asked the CBI to include Maharashtra’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department) as a respondent to the plea.

In July, CBI received clearance from the Bombay HC to investigate the case while dismissing the MVA government’s plea to quash certain portions of the FIR filed by the central agency in the matter. The CBI then sought details of a communication sent by senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla on the issue of corruption in police transfers and postings.

However, the state’s intelligence department has not been cooperating with the central agency even as the MVA government has said that it’ll approach the apex court to challenge the HC decision.

The CBI stated, “This was in clear violation of the order of the High Court which categorically had refused a stay on its order and no such order had yet been obtained from the Supreme Court”. The HC also stated that it was concerned that the state government wasn’t handing over the required documents to the CBI even if it is set to appeal the HC order in the SC (Supreme Court).

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI have been made a party to the investigation based on the order of the HC. However, Anil Deshmukh has been absconding. ED searched for Deshmukh last week at his known residences in Mumbai, Nagpur, and Katol (Nagpur district) but couldn’t find him. CBI had filed an FIR against the former HM of Maharashtra on the basis of ex-Police commissioner of Mumbai Parambir Singh’s allegations of Deshmukh’s involvement in an extortion racket.

The lengths to which the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government is going to save NCP leader Anil Deshmukh are apparent from its refusal to cooperate with the CBI. The MVA even went to the extent of withdrawing the general consent to CBI in October last year. This also shows how so-called secular parties have scant regard for the rule of law and judicial pronouncements.

Even as the Shiv Sena has the audacity to keep CBI at bay and Congress has always misused agencies to serve its narrow political agenda, Readers may recall how then Gujarat Home Minister (HM) Amit Shah was targeted by the Congress using the CBI. Shah was then barred from entering Gujarat for two years after CBI approached SC at the residence of Justice Aftab Alam who passed the order.

The judicial clout of the Congress is evident from the fact that Alam passed the order from his residence. This also shows how the so-called secular parties are a law unto themselves. In contrast to the conduct of the then Gujarat government, the present MVA government of Congress, Shiv Sena, and NCP has not just defied the HC order but is even threatening the CBI.

Earlier, Andhra CM Jagan Reddy had also shown his contempt for the judiciary when he raised accusations against Justice NV Ramana. The apex court had, however, not taken any strict action against Reddy as it ideally should have. In essence, so-called secular parties always get away with their defiance of the law. The high-handed manner in which the Maharashtra government is treating the CBI shows the real dictatorial faces of the secular parties.

(Featured Image source: India Today)

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