Maha Govt Withdraws All Charges Against Ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh

The Maharashtra government has dropped all charges against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, according to news agency ANI.

The state government has also quashed the suspension orders issued in December 2021 and said that he was on duty during the period of suspension.

Deputy CM of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis said, "CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal) gave a judgement under which Param Bir Singh's departmental inquiry was declared wrong and ordered its closure. It labelled his suspension wrong and requested to take back the suspension order. According to that, this decision was taken."

Param Bir Singh was shunted out after police officer Sachin Waze was arrested in connection with the recovery of an SUV with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house. Subsequently, Singh, in a letter to then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleged (then) home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked police in Mumbai to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants.

Deshmukh denied the allegations but soon stepped down from his post. Coming back to Param Bir Singh, he was the first serving IPS officer of DG Rank in the state to be suspended on these charges.

Apart from him, the Thackeray government had suspended Thane Deputy Commissioner of Police Parag Shyam Manere, who was a trusted aide of Param Bir Sing, for similar offences, UNI reported.