The move comes a day after a special court in Mumbai allowed a plea of dismissed police officer Sachin Waze to turn an approver and seek pardon in the case.
Former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh had claimed that it was Deshmukh who forced him to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Singh accused Deshmukh of misusing his post.
Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Singh had accused Deshmukh, then state home minister, of getting policemen to extort Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants in the metropolis.
Special judge RN Rokade rejected his bail plea on Monday. There is "enough evidence" to prima facie hold that he was "involved" in the money laundering case, the judge said.
According to the CBI manual, a preliminary enquiry is initiated to assess if there is enough prima facie material in the allegations to proceed with a regular case for a full-fledged probe.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started recording the statement of Deshmukh from Thursday morning and the process will continue on Saturday as well, the prison official said.
The CBI had recently moved a plea before the special court requesting it to grant them permission to record Deshmukh's statements.
Following Singh's appearance, the Justice K U Chandiwal Commission cancelled the bailable warrant issued against Param Bir Singh and asked him to deposit Rs 15,000 in the chief minister's relief fund.
The Supreme Court had on Monday termed the legal battle between former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh as "very disturbing" and stated that the former commissioner seems to show a lack of faith in the police.
The top court also granted protection from arrest to Singh in the cases lodged against him in Maharashtra, and directed him to join the investigation.
The anti-money laundering agency submitted an affidavit before the court designated to hear the cases of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) opposing the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Hrishikesh Deshmukh.
The ED's case is that Anil Deshmukh, while serving as Maharashtra's Home minister, misused his official position and through dismissed police officer Sachin Waze collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
The former Maharashtra Home Minister was arrested on Nov 1, after over 12 hrs of questioning.
A special holiday court on November 6 had sent Anil Deshmukh to judicial custody after rejecting the ED's plea seeking extension of his remand.
Anil Deshmukh's counsel Vikram Chaudhri and advocate Aniket Nikam told court that while they were opposing the plea on merits and maintainability, the NCP leader has consented and volunteered to be interrogated by ED.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the case, sought his remand for nine more days, but the court refused the probe agency's plea and sent him to judicial custody.
The revelations came two days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) - based on a CBI FIR arising out of Param Bir Singh's allegations - questioned and later arrested Deshmukh, who is now in the agency's custody till November 6.
Yesterday NCP leader Nawab Malik had talked about the connection of a drug peddler with former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. Even today Nawab Malik put some allegations on NCB officer Sameer Wankhede. Has the Mumbai drugs case now become revenge politics in Maharashtra? Watch Muqabla with Ajay Kumar.
Deshmukh appeared before the agency after the Bombay High Court last week refused to quash ED summonses against him. He had skipped at least five ED notices.
Deshmukh had skipped at least four summons issued by the ED in the case but after the Bombay High Court last week refused to quash these summons, he appeared before the agency.
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