Anil Deshmukh Corruption Case: Delhi Court remands lawyer Anand Daga, SI Abhishek Tiwari to 14 days judicial custody

Representative image
Representative image

New Delhi [India], September 6 (ANI): Delhi Court on Monday remanded former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Daga and Central Bureau of Investigation Sub-Inspector Abhishek Tiwari to 14 days judicial custody in connection with a corruption case relating to leaking information of a separate case against Deshmukh.

Special CBI Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav said that the Court will hear their bail plea on September 20 and refused CBI plea seeking further extensions of their custody.

"In these circumstances, when the accused persons have remained in CBI custody for four days, there appears no reason to further extend their CBI custody as nothing new showing the nature of data extracted and the confrontation of the same is before the Court. Application stands declined," the Court said.

"In the entirety of the circumstances, as the investigation is still going on, therefore both the accused persons are remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. They be produced before the Court on September 20," it added.

The agency on Monday had sought five days extension of custodial interrogation of lawyer Daga and SI Tiwari from the court.

CBI counsel told the court that during the search of the residential and office premises of the accused on September 1 and September 3, a number of electronic records, viz. mobile phones, laptops, computer hard disks, pen drives were seized and analysis of electronic records is going on.

The agency also told the Court that the identification of other people is under process.

Seeing extension of custody, investigating agency counsel submitted that the analysis of the existing seized material and interrogation of the accused so far prima-facie reveals larger conspiracy and continuous police custody and sustained interrogation is required to unearth the same.

CBI said that the investigation is at the initial stage and involves different places and locations and therefore, sustained custodial interrogation of both the accused is required to unravel the true and correct facts, considering the very nature of the allegations and inextricably complex set of facts of the case.

CBI presented Daga and CBI official Tiwari before the Rouse Avenue court on Monday on expiry of two day CBI custody.

The advocate appearing for Daga, Tanvir Ahmad Mir and Tiwari's lawyer Meenesh Dubey opposed the CBI plea saying that sufficient time had already been given to the agency for the interrogation of their client.

Earlier on Wednesday, CBI arrested its Sub Inspector Abhishek Tiwari for his alleged role in the 'manipulation' of preliminary inquiry against Deshmukh in connection with the extortion case.

The arrests came after the CBI registered an FIR against the sub-inspector, a Nagpur-based Advocate, and unknown persons on certain allegations, including illegal gratification.

On August 29, a report that was allegedly part of a preliminary inquiry conducted by CBI got leaked in media. The report mentions that the agency had concluded that "no cognizable offence has been committed by Anil Deshmukh".

The CBI in its internal inquiry found that Deshmukh's legal team tried to bribe some lower-ranked CBI officials in its preliminary inquiry. Strict action will be taken against the staff who were involved in the case. The investigation is underway to find out if more people were involved in the conspiracy to manipulate the documents. (ANI)