Bombay High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary inquiry against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection to the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. The court has directed the investigation agency to complete the probe within 15 days.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni stated, “This was an extraordinary and unprecedented case that warranted an independent inquiry.”
The High Court has directed CBI to complete the preliminary investigation within 15 days and also take a decision on the further course of action.
The division bench was hearing three PILs including one filed by Param Bir Singh himself, another by Mumbai-based lawyer Jaishree Patil, and the third one by a teacher Mohan Bhide. With issuing the orders, the bench disposed of all three petitions.
Param Bir Singh had filed a criminal public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe against Anil Deshmukh alleging that he had asked the suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crores from various restaurants, bars, and hookah bars.
Sachin Vaze has been arrested in connection to the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle from outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month and death of the businessman Mansukh Hiran, the purported owner of that SUV.
Bombay High Court reserved its order on March 31 in connection to the maintainability of the PIL filed by Param Bir Singh.
Param Bir Singh had written an eight-page letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray where he claimed that he was made a scapegoat as he was transferred to the low-key home guards position from Mumbai Police Commissioner on March 17 after the arrest of Sachin Vaze.
