Ten days after Mumbai’s former police commissioner Param Bir Singh made a sensational allegation of corruption against State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday appointed retired judge of the Bombay High Court Kailash Uttamchand Chandiwal to probe the former CP’s charges against Deshmukh.
The appointment of a single-member judicial committee to go into the allegations made by Singh against the State Home Minister came two days after the latter himself gave an indication to that effect.
It may be recalled that on March 20, the former commissioner of police had alleged that State Home Minister Deshmukh had asked now arrested and suspended police officer Sachin Vaze last month to "collect" a staggering Rs 100 crore per month from bars, restaurants and other sources.
On his part, Deshmukh – in a tweet put in the evening – had debunked Singh’s charge and said: “The former Commissioner of Police, Parambir Singh has made false allegations in order to save himself as the involvement of Sachin Waze in Mukesh Ambani & Mansukh Hiren’s case is becoming clearer from the investigation carried out so far & threads are leading to Mr. Singh as well”.
In the terms of reference for the judicial probe ordered by it, the state government said that the retired Judge would look into whether the former Police Commissioner had produced any evidence to establish that either Deshmukh or any officer in the Home Minister’s office had indulged in any irregularity or crime.
“The probe panel will also look into whether there was any substance in the information provided by Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Patil, then Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze to Singh, based on which the latter made allegations of corruption against the State Home Minister in his letter dated March 20, 2021. It will also suggest whether there is a need to order a probe by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) or any other agency,” the government notification announcing the judicial probe stated.
Justice (retired)Kailash Uttamchand Chandiwal-headed Judicial committee to submit its report to the state government within next six months.
Three days after he was shunted and posted in a relatively insignificant post as the Commandant General of Home Guards, Singh had on March 20 dropped a bombshell on the MVA government, in the form of an eight-page sensational letter written to the chief minister, in which he laid bare “misdeeds and malpractices” indulged in by the State Home Minister.
In the operative part of the explosive letter, Singh had written: “.... Sachin Vaze who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police was called by Shri Anil Deshmukh, Hon’ble Home Minister, Maharashtra to his official residence Dyaneshwar several times in last few months and repeatedly instructed to assist in collection of funds for the Hon’ble Home Minister,” Singh wrote in his letter.
“In and around mid-February and thereafter, the Hon’ble Home Minister had called Shri Vaze to his official residence. At that time, one or two staff members of the Hon’ble Home Minister including his Personal Secretary, Mr. Palande, were also present,” Singh had stated.
“The Hon’ble Home Minister expressed to Vaze that he had a target to accumulate Rs. 100 crore a month. For achieving the aforesaid target, the Hon’ble Home Minister told Shri Vaze that there are about 1,750 bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai and if a sum of Rs. 2-3 lakhs each was collected from each of 3 them, a monthly collection of Rs. 40-50 crores was achievable. The Hon’ble Home Minister added that the rest of the collection could be made from other sources,” the former CP wrote.
"Vaze came to my office the same day and informed me of the above. I was shocked with the above discussion and was mulling over how to deal with the situation,” Singh said.
In his letter, Mumbai’s former police commissioner had gone onto allege that Deshmukh’s personal secretary Palande informed Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Patil, ACP, Social Service Branch – who had been called to the Home Minister’s residence a few days later – that Deshmukh “was targeting a collection of Rs. 40-50 crores which was possible through an approximate 1,750 bars, restaurants and establishments operating in Mumbai”.
In the incriminating letter, Mumbai’s former CP also accused the State Home Minister of interfering in the official duties of police officers. “The Hon’ble Home Minister has as a regular practice been repeatedly calling my officers and giving them instructions in respect of the course to be followed by them in performance of their official duties. The Hon’ble Home Minister has been calling my officers at his official residence bypassing me and other superior officers of the Police Department to whom those respective Police Officers report to”.
“The Hon’ble Home Minister has been instructing them to carry out official assignments and collection schemes including financial transactions as per his instructions based on his expectations and targets to collect money. These corrupt malpractices have been brought to my notice by my officers,” the former CP had alleged.
Referring to instances of inference indulged in by the Home Minister in the functioning of the Mumbai police force, the Singh had written: “These acts of political of interference are illegal & unconstitutional and Courts in our country including the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India have in the past come down heavily on such acts of interference in police investigations. In the event of my expressing reservations against the interference from the Hon’ble Home Minister and resistance from me in that regard, the Hon’ble Home Minister has found my reservations and resistance undesirable”.
