Ex-Maha minister Deshmukh skips ED summons for 3rd time

While moving the Supreme Court for protection against coercive action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the embattled ex-Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh skipped ED summon for the third time in a week. This time, he accused the central agency on Monday that its probe against him is ‘not transparent’.

In a letter to ED Assistant Director Tassine Sultan, Deshmukh said that he had devoted his entire life to public service and would not hesitate to render any assistance that may be required in the conduct of the ongoing investigations.

“However, a series of events have given rise to a bonafide apprehension in my mind that neither the procedure of law is being followed nor any objective, impartial or transparent investigations are being carried out,” the 72-year-old senior Nationalist Congress Party leader said in his eight-pager missive.

Deshmukh said that he has moved a petition in the Supreme Court which would be listed in a few days and the ED to wait until its outcome in the apex court.

“I am sanguine that your good self will, in fact, dispel the impression of any bias or prejudice that has accumulated in my mind by carrying out investigations in a more transparent and objective manner. I am only taking recourse to my legal remedies in view of the peculiarities of the circumstances,” he said.

This is the third time in barely a week that Deshmukh — who was raided by the ED on 25 June, and at least two of his close aides were arrested — has spurned the ED summons to join the probe.

Meanwhile, ED has called Deshmukh’s son on Tuesday for interrogation.