Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh has filed a criminal PIL in the Bombay High Court, demanding a CBI investigation into his former boss Anil Deshmukh. Param Bir wrote a sensational letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray days after he was fired as police commissioner, accusing state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of operating a “extortion” ring.
Deshmukh had requested police officers, including suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze, to collect Rs 100 crore per month from around 1750 bars and restaurants operating in Mumbai, according to Param Bir’s letter to the CM.
The PIL was filed by Param Bir on March 25. Senior counsel Vikram Nankani, appearing for the former top cop, listed the petition before a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni on Tuesday and demanded an urgent hearing on the matter. The Chief Justice questioned Nankani about the petition’s prayers and whether the PIL could be maintained.
The key prayer, according to Nankani, was for a CBI investigation into Param Bir’s serious allegations against Anil Deshmuk. Nankani said that he would satisfy the court with arguments about maintainability. Param Bir Singh had initially filed a petition in the Supreme Court, claiming that he was sacked as commissioner after complaining to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray about Anil Deshmukh’s “corrupt practises.” The Supreme Court described the situation as “extreme,” but advised him to appeal to the High Court. Param Bir then filed a PIL in the High Court, reiterating his charges against Anil Deshmukh and demanding that the CBI conduct a ‘immediate, unbiased, and impartial’ inquiry. Param Bir has asked the High Court to order the CBI to secure CCTV footage of Anil Deshmukh’s residence from earlier this year.
In March 2020, Param Bir has requested the court to order the state government to produce all records of communication obtained from IPS officer Rashmi Shukla. Rashmi Shukla made severe allegations of police misconduct in postings and transfers against Anil Deshmukh in February of last year, and told her superiors about it, but she was transferred soon after.
