Document leak case: Court grants bail to lawyer, social media manager of Maharashtra's ex-Home Minister
Jan 31, 2022
New Delhi [India], January 31 : Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday granted bail to Maharasthra's former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Daga and his social media Manager Vaibhav Gajendra Tumane in the document leak case.
Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal granted bail in the matter.
During arguments, CBI had opposed the bail plea saying Tumane was the one who collected the sensitive report from Lawyer Anand Daga, prepared its copies and couriered it to various addresses in Delhi.
"The applicant Tumane, despite being served a notice to join the investigation, did not join the investigation. The applicant has a history of evading the process of law. Further, in view of the severity of punishment prescribed by the Law for the offences committed by him, there is every possibility that he may escape to evade the process of this Court if enlarged on the bail as prayed by him," the plea stated.
Anil Deshmukh's Social Media handler and lawyer Daga played a crucial role in the planning of posting illegally accessed copy of the enquiry report to sabotage the investigation, said CBI's Chargesheet.
CBI said that it was revealed that the illegally accessed/obtained enquiry report was already available with Daga, which he, in conspiracy with Vaibhav Gajendra Tumane, got circulated/posted with a note on the background of the Preliminary Enquiry to a number of addressees, as a part of their larger conspiracy to subvert the investigation.
CBI has named then its official Abhishek Tiwari, lawyer Anand Dilip Daga and Vaibhav Gajendra Tumane in the chargesheet.
Abhishek Tiwari, in conspiracy with the lawyer, was accused of leaking sensitive documents to subvert investigation of the case against Deshmukh, said CBI.
CBI said that the investigation has revealed that Abhishek Tiwari and Anand Dilip Daga met in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune physically and had been in regular touch through Whatsapp Calls/messages and SMS after April 14, 2021.
The probe has revealed that Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Daga had bought an iPhone worth Rs 95,000 for CBI official Abhishek Tiwari and gave it to him as illegal gratification in lieu of sharing case sensitive and confidential documents.
"Illegally obtained enquiry report of the Preliminary Enquiry against Deshmukh was already available with Anand Dilip Daga, which, he, in conspiracy with Vaibhav Gajendra Tumane, Social Media Handler of Anil Deshmukh and Unknown others, got circulated/posted with a note on the background of the Preliminary Enquiry to a number of addressees which included many constitutional dignitaries and media houses, as a part of their larger conspiracy to subvert the investigation," the chargesheet said.
The chargesheet further disclosed that Tumane roped in services of various other people to circulate the illegally accessed documents to various important and influential people.
"Gajendra Tumane, in conspiracy with Anand Dilip Daga, played a crucial and active role in planning and execution of posting/circulating an illegally accessed/obtained copy of Enquiry Report with an intent to sabotage the investigation," said the chargesheet.
Earlier CBI has arrested then CBI's Sub Inspector Abhishek Tiwari and lawyer Anand Daga, in connection with an alleged corruption case for leaking information of a separate case against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the extortion case.
The arrests of CBI officials and lawyers had come after the CBI registered an FIR against the sub-inspector, a Nagpur-based Advocate, and unknown persons on certain allegations, including illegal gratification.
On August 29, 2021, a report that was allegedly part of a preliminary inquiry conducted by CBI got leaked in media. The report mentions that the agency had concluded that "no cognizable offence has been committed by Anil Deshmukh".
The CBI in its internal inquiry found that Deshmukh's legal team tried to bribe some lower-ranked CBI officials in its preliminary inquiry. Strict action will be taken against the staff who were involved in the case. The investigation is underway to find out if more people were involved in the conspiracy to manipulate the documents.
