CBI probe against Deshmukh: SC tells Param Bir Singh to approach HC

New Delhi, Mar 24: The Supreme Court has directed former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to approach the Bombay High Court and file the plea in which he had sought an "impartial and fair" CBI probe into alleged corrupt malpractices of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that he will approach the High Court in the afternoon itself as the matter is very serious.

In his plea to the apex court, Singh, a 1988 batch IPS officer also sought quashing of the order transferring him from the post of Mumbai CP alleging it to be arbitrary and illegal.

As an interim relief, Singh sought stay of the operation of his transfer order and direction to the state government, the Centre and the CBI to immediately take in its custody the CCTV footage from the residence of Deshmukh.

In his eight-page letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh on Saturday claimed Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels.

Singh had also alleged in the letter that Deshmukh had called Mumbai police API Sachin Waze around mid-February at the ministers official residence and told him to collect Rs 100 crore a month.

Singh has alleged that Deshmukh had called police officer Sachin Waze around mid-February at his official residence and asked him to help with collecting funds from bars and restaurants.

Waze is currently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the recovery of the vehicle containing gelatin sticks and a threat letter which was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia in Mumbai last month.