Former Mumbai Commissioner Param Bir Singh moves SC for CBI probe against Anil Deshmukh

Days after his letter with explosive contents, senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh on Monday approached the Supreme Court for a CBI probe into "various corrupt malpractices of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh".

Singh, who triggered massive political storm in the state, also asked the court to quash the March 17 order transferring him from the post of Police Commissioner, Mumbai to head of Homeguards as illegal and arbitrary.

He claimed his transfer was "more of a politically influenced move by certain political parties, aggrieved by the revelation of the corrupt practices of Deshmukh to senior leaders and the Chief Minister." He said since the Maharasthra government had withdrawn its consent to the CBI, there was no other equally efficacious remedy for him than to approach the top court.

Read | A threat note, death, cop transfers and political row: The Param Bir Singh case so far

Reiterating his allegations, Singh said Deshmukh had been holding meetings in February, 2021 at his residence with police officers including arrested API Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai and Sanjay Patil, ACP Social Service Branch, Mumbai, bypassing their seniors and had instructed them that he had a target to accumulate Rs 100 crores every month and had directed to collect money from various establishments and other sources.

In his writ petition, he also alleged that on August 24-25, 2020, one Rashmi Shukla, the Commissioner Intelligence, State Intelligence Department had brought to the notice of the Director General of Police, who in turn brought it to the knowledge of the Addl Chief Secretary Home Department, Government of Maharashtra about malpractices in postings by Deshmukh based on telephonic interception, but she was shunted out.

"The Home Minister in calling and directly instructing the officers of lower rank such as Vaze or Patil for his malicious intent of extorting money from establishments across Mumbai and from other sources, interfering in the investigations and directing it to be conducted in a particular manner, and corrupt malpractices in posting and transfers of officers, cannot be countenanced or justified in any democratic State," his plea stated.

He apprehended if immediate directions for CBI probe was not ordered, the CCTV camera footage at Deshmukh's residence may be destroyed.