Ex-HC judge to probe allegations against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh

The truth will come out after a probe into the matter, Deshmukh told reporters at the Nagpur airport

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government has made up its mind to set up a Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired Bombay High Court judge to probe into the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh against state Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh.

During the last week, a series of meetings were held within three alliance partners – Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – to discuss the issue and the possible fallouts in the wake of new information coming to light following the arrest of Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze.

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Singh, an officer of the 1988 batch of IPS, who was shunted out and made the Commandant General of Home Guards, has alleged that Deshmukh was demanding Rs 100 crore per month from Vaze and the minister repeatedly bypassed him.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also spoken to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the chief architect of the MVA government.

The confirmation of a probe panel came from Deshmukh himself. “The Chief Minister and the (MVA) government have decided that a retired judge of the High Court will probe the allegations against me. Whatever the truth is would come out,” Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur.

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According to developments over the last week, the panel would be set up under provisions of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952 or just by an executive order by the establishment of a probe panel. Under the Commission of Inquiry Act, the Commission can summon and enforce the attendance of any person and examine on oath.

The issues have multiple dimensions as there are two petitions in the Bombay High Court – one filed by Singh, who has challenged the transfer and demanded a CBI probe into the allegations and another by 1986-batch IPS officer Sanjay Pandey, who has been bypassed for the post of Maharashtra Police chief as 1988-batch officer Rajneesh Seth was made the acting Director General of Police.

In fact, during the reshuffle, the government removed Singh and posted DGP Hemant Nagrale of the 1987-batch as the Mumbai Police Commissioner.