Param Bir Singh-Deshmukh row: SC asks ex-Mumbai top cop to approach HC

The apex Court observed that the allegations levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner against Deshmukh were extremely serious

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh to approach the Bombay High Court with his plea for CBI probe against Maharastra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh into his alleged "corrupt practices" including giving collection target of Rs 100 crore.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and R Subhash Reddy told Singh's counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, that the court agreed that the charges were serious but the High Court could examine the matter.

"We have no doubt the matter is quite serious affecting administration at large," the bench said, allowing Singh to approach the High Court.

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Rohatgi said the petition would be filed in the High Court on Wednesday itself.

At the outset, the bench asked Rohatgi why he filed filed the petition in the top court and not the High Court and why Deshmukh was not a party to the plea, though allegations were made against him.

To this, the counsel said an application has been filed to add Deshmukh as party respondent.

With regard to the other query, he said the entire state has been rocked and the police reforms have not taken place.

The bench, however, said this was the case with almost all the states.

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"The parties to this case were hunky dory for a long time. Now they have fallen apart and this has come up. I agree it is serious but High Court can deal with it," the bench said.

Rohatgi, however, contended this was a matter of serious public interest for the whole nation. A police officer was transferred citing administrative grounds but Home minister himself said on TV that it was not an administrative transfer.

The bench then pointed out that Singh and the Minister were making some allegations against each other.

"I don't see a point why you should not move HC," the bench said.

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Singh triggered a massive political storm in Maharashtra with his letter raising grave allegations of extortion against the Home Minister on March 20.

On Monday, he filed a plea in the top court to quash the March 17 order transferring him from the post of Mumbai police commissioner to head of Home Guards as illegal and arbitrary.

In his petition, he reiterated his allegations against Deshmukh that he had given collection target of Rs 100 crore to API Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai, arrested in Antilia bomb scare case.