Param Bir Singh moves SC for CBI probe against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 22

Days after being removed as the Mumbai Police Commissioner, Param Bir Singh, on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an impartial probe into allegations levelled by him against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. 

Singh -- who had accused Deshmukh of "interfering" in investigations -- said a CBI probe was must into his allegations.

Noting that the Government of Maharashtra has withdrawn the consent for investigations of offences by the CBI in the state, he contended that "unless directions are issued by this  Hon’ble Court, there seems no possibility of unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation by CBI in the corrupt malpractices of Shri Anil Deshmukh, the Hon’ble Home Minister of Government of Maharashtra, before the evidences are destroyed."

He also sought quashing of the Maharashtra government order transferring him from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner, saying the March 17 order "is more of a politically influenced move by certain political parties, aggrieved by the revelation of the corrupt practices of Shri Anil Deshmukh to senior leaders and the Hon’ble Chief Minister."

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi is likely to represent the former Mumbai Police chief before the top court.

Singh has urged the court to direct the CBI to "immediately conduct unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation in the various  corrupt malpractices of Shri Anil Deshmukh, the Hon’ble Home Minister of Government of Maharashtra."

He alleged that Deshmukh was having direct  meetings with police officers at his residence and was directing them to accumulate a sum of about Rs 100 crore every month. Terming it as "nothing but extortion", he said it was revealed to the chief minister in his letter to the CM.

Seeking quashing of the order to transfer him from the post of Mumbai Police chief, Singh submitted that the order was "illegal and arbitrary, in violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India, for each of the grounds namely for being without the completion of the minimum fixed tenure of two years in teeth of the law laid  down by this Hon’ble Court in TSR Subramanian v. Union of India, reported in (2013)."

In his 130-page petition, he said the order was "in clear non-compliance with the provisions of Indian Police Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954 as amended in 2014, and beingcontrary to the law laid down by this Hon’ble Court in TP Senkumar v. Union of India, reported in (2017) wherein it was held that transfer of an officer from a sensitive tenure post requires serious consideration and good reasons that can be tested."

He has also requested the court to issue "appropriate orders or directions to safeguard the petitioner (Singh) from any further coercive steps apprehended in the retaliation for laying bare the corrupt malpractices of Shri Anil Deshmukh, the Hon’ble Home Minister of the government of Maharashtra."