JOIN USSC calls Param Bir Singh-Maharashtra legal battle 'messy state of affairs, very unfortunate'
The Supreme Court on Tuesday told the Maharashtra government to completely stay off its hands in cases launched against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, till it decided his plea for CBI probe.
Singh alleged all the cases were initiated against him after his sensational charge of Rs 100 crore monthly extortion target by then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
Taking up Singh's petition, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh stayed proceedings against him, including probe and filling of charge sheet in all cases, till March 9.
The top court also expressed concern over the ongoing legal wrangle between Singh and the Maharashtra government, describing it as a “messy state of affairs” and also a “very unfortunate situation”.
"We have had occasion to say earlier that it is a messy state of affairs. It is very unfortunate situation, having propensity of shaking the confidence of people in the police system and the elected system. Process of law must carry on,” the bench said.
The court fixed the petition by Singh for transferring cases lodged against him to the CBI and granting him protection from coercive action for final disposal on March 9.
As Singh's counsel senior advocate Puneet Bali alleged a charge sheet was filed in one of the FIRs despite the top court's order against it, the bench told the Maharashtra government that if it were to be inclined to pass an order of transferring the cases to CBI, investigation having been completed would cause problems
Senior Advocate Darius Khambata, representing the Maharashtra government, assured the bench that the matter would be put on hold
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, said all the FIRs must come to the central investigating agency.
The court had earlier on November 22, 2021, granted protection from arrest to Singh, a 1988-batch of the Indian Police Service officer, in the cases. Singh had approached the top court against the September 16, 2021 order of the Bombay High Court, which directed him to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal with his plea for CBI probe into cases lodged against him.
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