Anil Deshmukh has said the ongoing CBI inquiry against him was illegal (File)
The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to quash the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the CBI against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on charges of corruption and misconduct.
A bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar said Mr Deshmukh's plea seeking quashing of the FIR "deserved to be dismissed".
The FIR was registered against Mr Deshmukh and some unidentified persons on April 24 this year on charges of corruption and misconduct following a preliminary inquiry that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted in compliance with the high court's order.
The High Court also refused Mr Deshmukh's request to stay its judgement to give him time to file an appeal against the same.
The inquiry was initiated into the complaint lodged by lawyer Jaishri Patil, in the aftermath of allegations of corruption levelled against Mr Deshmukh by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Mr Deshmukh through senior advocate Amit Desai had sought that the FIR against him be quashed.
The NCP leader had said the ongoing CBI inquiry against him was illegal, since the central agency had not taken prior sanction from the Maharashtra government to prosecute him.
Additional Solicitor Generals Aman Lekhi and Anil Singh, who appeared for the CBI, had told the High Court that no sanction was required, as by indulging in corruption and misconduct, Mr Deshmukh hadn't been discharging his official duties.
The CBI's FIR said Mr Deshmukh had knowledge of the reinstatement of former assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, an accused in a case of bomb scare near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, and the NCP leader used to exercise undue interference in transfers and postings of Maharashtra police officers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)