Supreme Court asks Param Bir Singh to approach Bombay HC with plea against Anil Deshmukh

File image of Param Bir Singh (Pic-PTI)

The Supreme Court on March 24 asked former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to approach the Bombay High Court with his plea seeking a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh for allegedly running a “money collection scheme” through the police department.

The bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and R Subhas Reddy, according to LiveLaw.in asked why the petition had been filed before the Supreme Court instead of the High Court and why Deshmukh, against whom the petition makes serious allegations, hasn't even been impleaded as a party.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for Singh, requested the Court to issue directions that the High Court takes up the matter tomorrow after a plea is filed by the petitioner today.

"In view of this, Counsel of the petitioner will withdraw the writ with liberty to approach the High Court,” the Court said.

In his plea, Singh, who was last week transferred to Maharashtra Home Guards Department, has repeated the allegations that Deshmukh had asked the now-suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month, including Rs 40-50 crore from around 1,750 bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

He claimed that he was transferred to a low-key post in Mumbai Police’s Home Guards on March 17 “immediately” after he brought the corrupt practices of Deshmukh to the knowledge of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and some other senior leaders in the state government.

In the petition, Singh also accused Deshmukh of interfering in investigations, pressuring him to implicate BJP leaders in the death by suicide of Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar.