Shocking, you don’t have faith in police: SC to Mumbai ex-top cop

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 11

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh’s petition seeking transfer of all inquiries against him to an independent agency outside Maharashtra.

Can’t doubt, Served force for 30 yrs

You have served the police for over 30 years. You should not have doubt… You can’t say you want inquiries to be done outside the state. Bench

“You served Maharashtra cadre for 30 years and now say you don’t have faith in the state police... it’s shocking!” a Vacation Bench led by Justice Hemant Gupta told Singh.

The Bench, however, gave him liberty to approach any appropriate forum after his counsel Mahesh Jethmalani chose to withdraw the petition.

As the senior counsel presented arguments, the Bench remarked, “Mr Jethmalani, it is said persons living in glasshouses should not throw stones at others.”

“Your lordships are assuming that I (Singh) am living in a glasshouse,” Jethmalani said, adding that false cases had been lodged against the former officer. But the top court wasn’t inclined to entertain the petition.

“You have experience of criminal law. Can there really be a blanket stay on FIRs lodged against you? We are not dealing with all FIRs. There are different magistrates to deal with it,” the Bench said. The case was assigned to Justice Gupta’s Bench after Justice BR Gavai recused himself from hearing his plea on May 18.

Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner on March 17 after he levelled allegations of corruption and misconduct against the then Home Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh.