The Officer Moves To Bombay High Court Challenging Enquiry Against Him

What is the case

• Param Bir Singh, a former Mumbai police commissioner, filed a public interest lawsuit in the Bombay High Court on Thursday, seeking an "immediate and impartial" investigation into Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, whom he claims asked police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.
• Singh said in his petition that he was being persecuted and threatened for exposing former state home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh's alleged "corrupt malpractices."
• In his appeal, Singh also claims that during his April 19 meeting with state Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey, the latter "advised" him to withdraw his letter to the state government against Deshmukh.
• The petition, according to Singh's lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, challenges the Maharashtra government's two orders directing Deshmukh on April 1 and April 20.

The Matter in March

• Singh also charged the home minister with intervening with police investigations in a number of cases.
• Vaze was detained by the National Investigation Agency on March 15 for his alleged involvement in the placement of an explosives-laden vehicle outside Mukesh Ambani's south Mumbai residence last month. Singh, who was in charge of the investigation, was transferred by the state government two days later to the low-key Home Guard department. The former police chief had sought defence from the Maharashtra government's threats of retaliation. He had also questioned the state government's decision to move him to the Home Guard on March 17th.
• In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray dated March 20, Singh accused Deshmukh of extorting money from the city's bars, pubs, and hookah parlours.
• The suspended Crime Branch officer Sachin Vaze informed the former police chief that the minister had asked him to collect Rs 100 crore per month through illegal channels.
• The accusations have engulfed the Shiv Sena, the Congress, and the government of the Nationalist Congress Party. Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party also said that similar alleged extortion incidents may be occurring in other Maharashtra cities such as Pune, Nagpur, and Jalgaon.
• Deshmukh had dismissed Singh's charges against him, claiming that the cop was attempting to cover up for mishandling the Ambani case. Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, had dismissed the charges against Deshmukh on Monday after initially calling them "severe." During the time span stated by Singh in his allegations, Pawar alleged that Deshmukh was hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The Matter in April

• Devendra Fadnavis, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister and a BJP leader accused the NCP of covering its tracks in order to shield the state government, alleging that party chief Sharad Pawar was forced to falsely testify about Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's whereabouts.
• "The first order (April 1) was issued by the then-home minister, Anil Deshmukh, for alleged violations of some All India Services (Conduct Rules), and the second-order (April 20) was issued by the current home minister (Dilip Walse Patil) in response to allegations of corruption levelled against Singh," Rohatgi explained.
• On April 5, the Supreme Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary investigation into Singh's allegations against Deshmukh, who then resigned as Home Minister.
• According to him, on April 19, Singh met with Pandey, during which the DGP allegedly instructed Singh to withdraw his March letter to the Maharashtra government, in which he accused Deshmukh of corruption and misusing his official role.

Current scenario

• In the meeting, Pandey told Singh that he couldn't continue to battle the system like this and that the government was considering filing several criminal charges against him (Singh). According to Rohatgi, Pandey advised Singh to withdraw the letter he sent to the government.
• Rohatgi said that Pandey told Singh that if the letter was withdrawn, the CBI's case against Deshmukh would be dismissed and that the state government was fabricating charges against Singh.
• He also said that Singh taped his conversation with Pandey and sent a copy to the CBI.
• Rohatgi said that the government's order to open a preliminary investigation into Singh was "manifestly arbitrary, entirely unconstitutional, and null and void."
• Deepak Thakare, the public prosecutor, requested more time to react to the allegations.
• Rohatgi went on to say that the government could be given more time, but that Singh should be given temporary protection and the investigations should be halted until then.
• The court then inquired if Singh had received any show-cause notices in connection with the investigation. In the negative, Rohatgi responded.
• "What is the urgency...what is the tearing need for us to pass some temporary orders if no show-cause notice has been given to Singh to date?" the court asked.
• After a police inspector accused Singh of corruption, the Akola police filed an FIR against him.
• Singh will have to appeal the Akola case before the HC's Nagpur bench, which has jurisdiction over matters arising out of the Akola district, according to the bench.
• In his petition, Singh requests that the CBI conduct an investigation into Deshmukh that is independent, uninfluenced, impartial, and reasonable.
• ● It also asked for a directive to the CBI or some other independent agency to seize the CCTV footage of Deshmukh's home right away in order to avoid its "destruction."