New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the plea of the Maharashtra government requesting a court-monitored SIT probe of the case pertaining to former State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

The Maharashtra government had challenged summons issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte and State Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey in connection with the case registered against Deshmukh.

The Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh clarified that it "would not touch this matter."

The dismissal of the petition is considered as a huge setback for the Maharashtra government, which has accused the centre of using agencies like the CBI to target its ministers and leaders.

"Considering the totality of the circumstances including the conduct of Maharashtra government as noticed by the judicial orders and manifested from the record, the government is not entitled to any relief in this petition. There is no substance in the contention of the State that CBI is disentitled to carry out investigation in the matter. No case is made out for withdrawing the investigation from CBI and entrust it to SIT as prayed for," the Court said dismissing the plea.

Anil Deshmukh, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Home Minister is being investigated over allegations of bribe-taking for police transfers and postings when he was Home Minister of Maharashtra.

Subodh Jaiswal was part of police establishment boards and oversaw transfers and postings, the Maharashtra government said, adding that Mr Jaiswal "should be a witness, if not a potential accused."

The Bench reasoned that calling the officers to Delhi at an inconvenient time could not be termed as harassment or embarrassment and did not affect their duties.

"We fail to understand how requesting to participate in the investigation would amount to harassment of these two officers," the Bench had emphasized.