Central Agency Meddling In Case Against Police Officer Through FIR Against Ex-Minister: Maharashtra

Maharashtra has moved the court alleging that portions of the CBI's FIR against Anil Deshmukh were intended to "destabilise" the state government.

The Maharashtra government today told the Bombay High Court that it did not want to be seen as defending NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, but the CBI was trying to interfere in the inquiry against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla by expanding the scope of its probe against the former state home minister. The state has moved the high court alleging that some portions of the FIR registered by the central agency against Mr Deshmukh were unwarranted, and intended to "destabilise" the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government. The state did not want to interfere in the CBI's probe against Mr Deshmukh for alleged corruption, the Maharashtra government's lawyer and senior advocate Rafique Dada told a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamdar. It merely wanted to get some portions from the FIR expunged, he said. "I do not want to be seen as supporting Mr Deshmukh. He is not my minister anymore," Mr Dada said, when the CBI's lawyer proposed that the court hear the pleas filed by the state and Mr Deshmukh together.