Mumbai: Coming down heavily on former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the NCP SCP leader ‘has been exposed now’. He was referring to an interview by the retired Justice Chandiwal, who said he had not given a clean chit to Deshmukh.
Deshmukh was granted bail by the court due to his illness, Fadnavis told a rally in Narkhed. Whatever Deshmukh had been saving about the matter, he had been nailed, the deputy CM said.
About Deputy CM’s Attack
Fadnavis’s attack was in response to an interview by retired Justice Kailas Chandiwal, who had probed the charges against Deshmukh made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh—the alleged target of collecting Rs 100 crore monthly from bars, restaurants, and other establishments. In his interview with a regional channel, the retired justice said he had not used the words ‘clean chit in the report. “No proper evidence was allowed to be submitted before the commission,” he said.
Significance Of Retd Justice’s Statement
The statement by retd Justice Chandiwal assumes significance, as Deshmukh has alleged that the report was not being made public as he was given a clean chit in it. The Chandiwal Commission was appointed after former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh made a sensational allegation that Deshmukh had set a target for the collection of Rs 100 crore monthly, from the owners of dance bars and permit rooms in Mumbai.
Deshmukh, soon after his release from jail after the grant of bail, said that the government deliberately avoided making the Justice Chandiwal report public. Justice Chandiwal further said in the interview, he had criticised Param Bir Singh for backtracking on his earlier stand. “I was not given proof (of the alleged given target). I never gave a clean chit. Both Singh and Sachin Vaze did not submit the evidence, despite having it with them. Had those been submitted, something could have happened,” the retired justice said in the interview. Further, said Chandiwal, though Vaze mentioned the names of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar in the affidavit submitted, these were not taken on record, after learning about the intention.
The report never used the words clean chit but said that evidence was not produced. The sacked cop Vaze, Param Bir, and Deshmukh met and then Vaze changed his evidence, Chandiwal said. “It was like ‘Teri bhi chup, meri bhi chup”. No pressure can be exerted on the submission of proof. The contents of the report submitted couldn’t have been digested by any government, the retired justice has said.
“I did not record the names of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar. I had told Vaze this, as well. Attempts were made by Vaze and Deshmukh to involve Fadnavis. But I did not take it on record. It was a clear attempt to get publicity. But I did not allow it,” Chandiwal said in the course of the interview.
