Anil Deshmukh appears before inquiry commission

Mumbai, Nov 30: Former Maharashtra home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday appeared before a commission probing corruption allegations levelled against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Deshmukh, who was earlier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case, is currently in judicial custody.

On Friday, special PMLA court judge H S Satbhai had allowed Deshmukh's production warrant for appearance before the Justice K U Chandiwal Commission.

The Maharashtra government had in March this year formed the single-member commission of Justice Chandiwal (retired) to probe the allegations of corruption levelled by Param Bir Singh against the then state home minister and NCP leader Deshmukh.

Singh, who was transferred from the post of Mumbai police commissioner in March in the aftermath of the Antilia bomb scare episode, had alleged that Deshmukh asked police officers to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in the city.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the allegations made against Deshmukh by the senior IPS officer.