Anil Vasantrao Deshmukh is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He is a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party. Deshmukh served as the Minister for Home Affairs in Government of Maharashtra between 2019 and 2021. Deshmukh resigned in 2021 as the Home Minister of Maharashtra due to allegations of extortion and laundering charges and is currently in judicial custody.

Deshmukh has been a member of 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, representing Katol (Vidhan Sabha constituency). He had previously served as Minister of Food & Civil supplies and Consumer affairs, Minister of Public Works Department, Minister of State for School Education, Information and Public Relations, Minister of State for Sports & Youth affairs and Minister of State for Education and Culture in the Government of Maharashtra.

Early life and family

Deshmukh hails from the village of Vad Vihira near Katol in Nagpur district. He attended Katol High school. Later, he attended the College of Agriculture, Nagpur and received a master of science degree in Agriculture awarded by Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth.

Political career

Deshmukh served as the chairman of Nagpur Zilla Parishad during initial years of his political career. He first got elected to Maharashtra state assembly in 1995 from Katol as an independent candidate. He represented that constituency until 2014. He served as Minister of State in the BJP–Shiv Sena coalition government in 1995. His portfolios in that government included Education, and Culture. He later joined the Nationalist Congress Party, a party formed in 1999. When the NCP–Congress alliance came to power in Maharashtra in 1999, he initially served as Minister of State for School Education, Information and Public Relations, Sports & Youth Welfare. He was promoted as a Cabinet Minister in the state government. As a cabinet minister from 2001 to 2014, he was in-charge for the following departments:

Excise, Food & Drugs, Maharashtra State (2001 to March 2004)
Public Works (Public Undertakings), Maharashtra State (2004 to 2008)
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Maharashtra State (2009 -2014)
Deshmukh lost the Katol seat to his nephew, Ashish Deshmukh in 2014 assembly elections. However, he regained the Katol seat as the NCP candidate in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections. Deshmukh was appointed Home Minister of Maharashtra when the MVA alliance of NCP, Shiv sena and Congress led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray came to power in November 2019. In addition to his portfolio, Deshmukh is also the Guardian Minister of Gondia district.

From 1995 to 1999

Anil Deshmukh held the portfolio of Minister of State for School Education, Higher & Technical Education, Cultural Affairs in the government of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999.

As the Minister of State for School Education, he started the initiative to regulate the burgeoning private coaching classes, where the teachers employed by schools simultaneously ran private coaching institutions.

Deshmukh is said to have been involved in setting up the Maharashtra Bhushan award, the highest civilian honour in the state of Maharashtra. Famous personalities including Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, Lata Mangeshkar and Sunil Gavaskar have received this award since.

He was active in the drive to reduce the weight of bags carried by students enrolled in schools affiliated with Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.

From 1999 to 2001

Deshmukh held the portfolio of Minister of State for School Education, Information and Public Relations, Sports & Youth Welfare in the Maharashtra Government during this period.

Under his charge, the construction of India's second-largest air-conditioned indoor sports stadium began in Nagpur.

From 2001 to 2004

Deshmukh was a Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra government during this period and held the State Excise, Food & Drugs portfolio.

During his tenure, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the law to ban gutka, a form of chewing tobacco which contains carcinogens in the state.

2004 to 2008

During this period, Deshmukh was the Minister of Public Works (Public Undertakings) in the Maharashtra government.

He administered the department during the final few phases of the development of the Bandra–Worli Sea Link, a project which had already suffered delays of multiple years. The project was finally completed in 2009.

2019 and later

Deshmukh took charge of the Home Ministry of Maharashtra in the MVA coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray after the 2019 Maharashtra political crisis.

He proposed the establishment of a specialized treatment center for the police personnel infected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Home Minister, he tabled the proposed Shakti Bill in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly which sought to modify provisions pertaining to sexual offences against women and children. The bill was ultimately sent for review to a committee of the Legislative Assembly after an outcry from various women's rights groups and activists.

As a Home Minister, he introduced the ‘Self Balancing Electric Scooters’ (Segway) for Mumbai Police personnel that would help them while on patrolling duty.

He famously attended the complaint calls at the Pune city police control room on new year's eve and celebrated the same with police personnel.

During his tenure, the home ministry declared ₹5,000,000 ex gratia to the families of police personnel who lost their lives to COVID-19.

He also proffered one-rank promotion to fourteen police officers for their historic valor and courage during the 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks.

It is claimed that he was the first ever Home Minister of the state to visit the Regional Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Pune and spent time interacting with the staff and discussed ways to equip the Laboratory with the latest technology.

2021 accusations and resignation as Home minister
Former commissioner of Mumbai Police Param Bir Singh, in a letter in March 2021 accused Deshmukh of bribery.

Deshmukh resigned from the post of the Home Minister of Maharashtra in the MVA coalition government led by CM Uddhav Thackeray after the Bombay high court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations of corruption and misconduct leveled by former commissioner Param Bir Singh.

CBI and ED probe

Anil Deshmukh is currently under investigation by the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, following accusations made by the former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.[18] Deshmukh remained untraceable from July 2021 for a period of more than three months and failed to appear before enforcement directorate five times during that period. However, on November 1, 2021, he voluntarily came to the ED office in Mumbai after the Bombay High court on October 30 denied his plea to cancel enforcement directorate, and was formally arrested. The Bombay High court set aside the judicial custody and remanded Deshmukh into custody till Nov. 12.

The probe has been criticized by NCP chief, Sharad Pawar.

In January 2022, Anil Deshmukh filed for a bail plea as usual but was rejected by the Special Court and is currently lodged at the Arthur Jail.

Deshmukh dislocated his shoulder whilst being in judicial custody. His application to get the surgery to correct that in a privately run hospital rather than a government run facility has been opposed by ED. The judgement is pending in the case.

Ministerial positions held in Government of Maharashtra