Bombay High Court extends stay on effect of order granting bail to Anil Deshmukh in corruption case till December 27

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday extended the stay on the effect of an order granting bail to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case till Tuesday..Justice MS Karnik clarified that no further extension would be granted after Tuesday. .The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was granted bail in the corruption case on December 12, 2022. In the interest of justice, the judge also stated that the order will be made effective after a period of 10 days. The said 10 day period was to end today, December 21. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) moved the High Court on December 20 seeking an extension on the stay on the effect of the order. .Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh for CBI informed the Court that it was unable to move the Supreme Court considering the Court was on vacation and there was no vacation bench sitting. “We request for an opportunity to challenge the order. It will become infructous after today, if no relief is granted. Courts have previously granted orders of extension on stay. If there would have been a vacation bench, I wouldn’t have approached this Court” the ASG said. .Appearing for Deshmukh, Advocate Aniket Nikam, opposed the request stating that the application was a pure abuse of law. “The order was available in the evening itself. CBI has all the resources and they took four days to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP). There is a vacation Registrar. They do not want to go before the registrar because they do not think there is any urgency,” Nikam said. He also pointed out that central agencies had managed to get orders on a Saturday from the Supreme court and even on Sunday from the Bombay High Court..Justice Karnik mused why CBI could not manage to get the SLP listed before the Supreme Court at the earliest. “If the remedy of approaching the vacation registrar is available, then why not avail it? If remedy would not have been available, then I would have considered. But then remedy is available here,” the judge said. At this point, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) for the CBI contended that if not till January 3, time could be granted till Tuesday, December 27. “We will try our luck before the Registrar. If nothing happens till Tuesday, then so be it,” the ASG submitted..The Court concluded that the extension can be granted till Tuesday, with a clarification that no further extension can be granted.