Additional Sessions Judge HS Satbhai, who had been hearing the Enforcement Directorate’s remand applications against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, was transferred by Bombay High Court to Yavatmal district this week. The transfer came after Satbhai had turned down the NCP leader’s request for home-cooked meals.
While rejecting Anil Deshmukh’s plea for home-cooked meals in prison, the court had sent him to 14-days judicial custody in connection with a corruption case. However, the court had accepted his appeal for a bed in view of the medical condition of the 71-year-old politician.
But it was unyielding on Deshmukh’s request for home-made food. “You eat jail food first. If not, then I will consider,” the judge had said.
Prior to being involved in the Anil Deshmukh case, Satbhai was a special judge for hearing cases pertaining to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act from August 2020 to July 2021 in Mumbai.
The High Court does not have the power to transfer special judges on their own. It had to seek special permission from the Supreme Court for changing the posting of special judges. The Bombay High Court Registrar General had cited “administrative exigencies” as the reason for seeking permission from the SC for the transfer of the judge presiding over the Anil Deshmukh’s case to Yavatmal district. The Supreme Court granted its permission for the transfer on November 13.
“The High Court has been pleased to transfer and post HS Satbhai, Judge, City Civil Court and Additional Sessions Judge, Mumbai as District Judge and Additional Sessions Judge, Kelapur, District Yavatmal with immediate effect,” the official order of November 15 stated.
Special judge transferred even as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar issues threats against those who jailed Anil Deshmukh
It is worth noting that Satbhai’s transfer came at the time when NCP supremo Sharad Pawar warned that those who played a role in getting former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh sent to jail will pay the price for having done so. Pawar made the remarks at a rally in Nagpur on Wednesday evening, insisting that Deshmukh was innocent.
“You are spreading propaganda against a person. He (Deshmukh) came to meet me and said that the complaint has been made by the police commissioner. Until the probe is complete, he doesn’t want to stay in this position and he is stepping down as home minister. You have sent him behind bars and will be made to pay the price of every day and every hour,” the former Maharashtra cheif minister, who invented a thirteenth bomb during the 1993 Mumbai blasts and later preened himself on lying about the same, said in a rally in Nagpur the former union minister said at a public rally in Nagpur.
Enforcement Directorate arrests former Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh
Earlier this month, the Enforcement Directorate arrested former Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh after over 12 hours of questioning in an extortion and money-laundering case.
Deshmukh (71) who was in hiding, was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). As per the officials, the NCP leader was evasive during the interrogation. The former minister had skipped at least five summons by the agency and was untraceable before he finally appeared before the ED for questioning.