Former Mumbai police chief is an accused in an extortion case
The Supreme Court today expressed concern over eroding trust between key institutions while hearing a case of extortion against former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh. In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had said the former top cop can't be arrested in criminal cases filed against him, until further orders. Today, the court said the protection would continue.
"It's a disturbing scenario. What do we say that the head of the police force has no faith in that force? We have given you enough protection. Not giving you anymore," Justice SK Kaul said when Mr Singh's lawyer, Puneet Bali, told the court that after its protection orders, Maharashtra Police started departmental action Mr Singh.
Mr Bali said such alternative methods were being used against Mr Singh since he has protection from criminal proceedings because of the court order.
The Maharashtra government does not want the Central Bureau of Investigation, or CBI, to take up the extortion case in which Mr Singh in a letter had named former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh as one of the alleged accused.
"It would not be fair to transfer the probe to the CBI because the present Director of CBI is a witness, if not an accused, when it comes to matters pertaining to Anil Deshmukh," said senior advocate Darius Khambata on behalf of the Maharashtra government.
Mr Bali said the first information reports, or FIRs, against the former Mumbai top cop were meant to scuttle the CBI investigation. "The Maharashtra government tried to harm the investigation... It confirms I am being targeted. It all started with my letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister," Mr Bali said on behalf of the former police chief.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, said the agency is proceeding with its investigation based on a mandate given by the high court, and whatever the Maharashtra government does should not end up diluting the CBI probe.
To all this, this Supreme Court expressed concern over "institutions doubting each other".
"What can we do if institutions start expressing such doubt against each other? Disturbing scenario. We want the state government to also take steps. We will have to see whether they are able to take the probe further or not," Justice Kaul said, and directed the Maharashtra government to reply to the CBI in three weeks.
The Supreme Court said the former Mumbai police chief must cooperate with the investigation in the meantime.
After he was removed as Mumbai police chief in March 2021 in the aftermath of the Antilia bomb scare case, Mr Singh, in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had alleged Mr Deshmukh was behind an extortion case. The case involves a Scorpio SUV with gelatin sticks found abandoned near Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani's Mumbai home "Antilia" in February last year.