Ex-HM Deshmukh Questions PBS Exclusion From Antilia Case A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Mumbai court that Maharashtra governor has sanctioned prosecution of former home minister Anil Deshmukh in an extortion and money laundering case, Deshmukh claimed the entire case was fabricated by ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh to retaliate for his suspension. The ED had initiated the investigation into money laundering allegations after Singh accused Deshmukh of setting a target of Rs100 crore “collection” during his tenure as home minister in 2021. Deshmukh alleged that Singh made the false accusation following a probe by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government into the planting of explosives outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia, in Mumbai. Deshmukh stated that Singh’s actions were part of a premeditated plan to target him. “It was all planned by Param Bir Singh,” he said in Nagpur. He emphasized that the ED’s recent green signal for prosecution was a separate issue, but he shifted focus to the explosives case, questioning why Singh was not being held accountable. “Even when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was probing the explosives case, they found evidence against Singh. He has not been named as an accused in any case. Who is protecting Singh? He has the blessings of someone powerful,” Deshmukh claimed. Deshmukh maintained that the money laundering case against him was not only false but also vindictive. He recounted that the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigated the Antilia case and found evidence implicating Singh. “After they found evidence against Singh, he was first transferred and then suspended. Later, he made the Rs100 crore allegation against me,” he said.#maha_vikas_aghadi #national_investigation_agency #antilia #ex_hm_deshmukh #param_bir_singh
