A DAY after the Chandiwal Commission, which was appointed to probe allegations of corruption against former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, submitted its report to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the NCP and Congress said its findings clearly proved Deshmukh had been framed by the central government.
But the Shiv Sena said it would comment on the report only after it is made public.
The BJP rejected the Commission’s findings and called the body an “unconstitutitional commisison”.
The report was submitted by Justice K U U Chandiwal Commission to Thackeray in the presence of Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil. The minister refused to comment on the issue.
Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in November. He is facing charges under the Money Laundering Act and had resigned as the Home Minister in April 2021.
NCP state spokesperson Umesh Patil said, “Going by media reports, it is clear Anil Deshmukh has been given a clean chit on the allegations of corruption. NCP has been repeatedly saying Deshmukh was framed in the case by the BJP-led central government. First they made charges of Rs 100 crore corruption and then said it was Rs 4 crore. Former police commissioner Param Bir Singh, who made the allegations against Deshmukh, later said he had no evidence to substantiate his charges. State BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis also had a problem with Deshmukh, who was from Nagpur like the former chief minister.”
State Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari said, “Why is Anil Deshmukh in jail for months? On fake charges…the Supreme Court must intervene in this matter and order hefty compensation to Deshmukh.”
However, Sanjay Raut, chief spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, said the party will react after the full report is made public. Raut also said that he had not spoken to the Chief Minister about the report. “Whatever I gather from media reports is that Deshmukh has been given a clean chit. But the commission seems to have passed strictures against the state Home Ministry,” he said.
State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “The Commission was not set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952. This is an unconstitutional body. When the matter is already pending before the court, we will wait for the court’s verdict in the case rather than go by the report of a body which is not even a commission… We fully reject the so-called clean chit given to Deshmukh.”
