Maharashtra inquiry panel asks Sachin Vaze and Anil Deshmukh to appear before it next week

The Chandiwal Commission on Wednesday issued production warrants requesting dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze and former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh to appear before it on December 8 and 9, respectively, ANI reported. Vaze and Deshmukh are co-accused in an extortion case.

A production warrant is issued if an accused person is in prison. Currently, Vaze is in the judicial custody of the National Investigation Agency and Deshmukh is in the judicial custody of the Enforcement Directorate.

The Chandiwal Commission, appointed by the Maharashtra government in March, is investigating the corruption allegations that former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh had levelled against former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh.

Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month through illegal channels.

In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh’s private secretary Sanjeev Palande was coordinating with Vaze and two other police officers regarding the collection of money from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

Deshmukh had resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet due to the allegations made against him. In April, the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a case against him based on Singh’s claims. In June, the Enforcement Directorate initiated a money laundering case against the Nationalist Congress Party leader based on the chargesheet…

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