Former Mumbai top cop, Param Bir Singh moves Bombay HC: Seeks CBI probe against Deshmukh
Mumbai, Mar 25: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe against Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh.
In his petition, he has challenged his transfer as Mumbai Police commissioner also. He moved the Bombay HC after the Supreme Court directed him to do so. Singh had sought an "impartial and fair" CBI probe into alleged corrupt malpractices of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
The
Supreme
Court
said
that
the
allegations
and
counter-allegations
between
Singh
and
Deshmukh
are
"serious"
but
the
case
should
be
heard
by
the
High
Court
first.
"No
doubt
the
matter
is
quite
serious,
it
also
appears
a
lot
of
material
in
the
public
domain
due
to
personas
falling
apart,"
the
Bench
observed
while
asking
senior
advocate
Mukul
Rohatgi
appearing
for
Singh
to
approach
the
Bombay
High
Court.
"There
is
now
another
angle
to
it.
The
concerned
parties
were
quite
hunky-dory
for
very
long.
Now
having
fallen
apart,
one
is
making
the
allegation
against
the
other.
It
is
a
serious
matter
no
doubt.
The
High
Court
is
competent
to
deal
with
this
issue,"
the
court
also
said.
Thereafter,
Rohatgi
withdrew
the
plea
from
the
top
court
and
said
he
will
move
to
Bombay
High
Court
today
itself.
Will welcome probe against me if Uddhav Thackeray orders it: Anil Deshmukh
Rohatgi requested the top court to issue direction the High Court to hear the matter tomorrow in view of the fact that the case involves certain CCTV footage etc., however, the Bench asked him to raise this request before the High Court.
The Bench in its order stated, "The petitioner withdraw the petition with liberty to approve the High Court. They will file a plea today and would like the matter to be taken tomorrow. Liberty to approach the High Court granted."
During the hearing, the Bench also said that it's "unfortunate" that the Supreme Court's judgement on police reform has not been implemented. The issue of police reforms props up only when some political situation explodes, Justice Kaul added.
Rohatgi while advancing arguments Singh said that its rare that a Police Commissioner is transferred under this law that talks of administrative reasons and the minister himself said on TV that it was not done for administrative reasons.
Singh on Monday filed a petition before the apex court claiming that Deshmukh "pressurised" him to probe the role of certain BJP leaders and to "somehow implicate" them in the case of the death of MP Mohan Delkar and he "did not succumb" to the pressure.
Singh, who was shunted out as Mumbai Police Commissioner in the wake of the Antilia bomb scare case, has also challenged the government's order transferring him from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner.
In his plea, he also repeated the graft allegations he had made against Deshmukh in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and also accused the Maharashtra Home Minister of interfering in police investigations.
Singh, who was recently transferred, has alleged wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray claiming Deshmukh's involvement in severe "malpractices".
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However, Anil Deshmukh on Saturday refuted all the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh against him. Deshmukh said the police officer made these false allegations to save himself from legal action.