Param Bir Singh Agrees To Appear Before Chandiwal Commission On Monday; Thane Court Cancels Non-Bailable Warrant

The officer has also agreed to appear before the Maharashtra State appointed Chandiwal Judicial Commission on Monday.The committee was appointed to probe Singh's corruption allegations against Deshmukh. Yesterday, Justice (Retd) KU Chandiwal warned the officer's advocates of action if he didn't appear before it.

The application in the Esplanade court cites the recent Supreme Court order granting him relief from arrest and says that since he has now appeared before investigating officers, the order for non-bailable warrant and proclaimed offender be stayed. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sudhir Bhajipale has sought a response from the concerned Investigating Officer.

Singh was declared a proclaimed offender under section 82 of the Criminal Procedure Code by the court last week after he repeatedly failed to appear for investigation, following which a non-bailable warrant was issued against him. The Thane court cancelled the non-bailable warrant against Param Bir Singh after he appeared before it. The Court also directed Singh to co-operate with the investigators and also furnish bond of Rs. 15,000.

The warrant issued against Singh pertains to an FIR registered at Mumbai's Goregaon police station. The complaint filed by a builder-cum-hotelier Bimal Agrawal Agarwal alleged extortion of Rs 9 lakh by Singh "for not conducting raids on two bars and restaurants in which he was a partner." Citing the period of alleged offence as January 2020 to March 2021, the complaint further alleges that Singh forced Jalan to buy two smartphones worth around Rs 2.92 lakh.

Other accused named in the FIR include now dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze, one Sumit Singh alias Chintu, Alpesh Patel, Vinay Singh alias Bablu, and Riyaz Bhati. Singh appeared before the investigation officer of the case on Thursday for around six-seven hours.

Chandiwal Commission

In his March 2021 letter to the Chief Minister, Singh alleged that Deshmukh had asked dismissed cop Sachin Waze and two other officers to illegally collect Rs 100 crore from bar owners every month for him. Deshmukh is in prison pursuant to several investigations initiated pursuant to Singh's letter.

Following the letter, the Maharashtra government formed the one-member commission to probe Singh's allegations against Deshmukh. Despite the commission issuing multiple summons and a bailable warrant against Singh, he has not appeared before it so far.

Thrice the commission had imposed fines on Singh – of Rs 5,000 in June and Rs 25,000 each on two other occasions – for failing to appear before it.

It is only on Monday, that Singh informed the commission through Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud about his willingness to file an affidavit. He, however, said his presence should be dispensed with.

Chandrachud had told the court that Singh's information or allegations in the letter were based on information some officers had provided to him and he had no first-hand information of what transpired.

"His information in that sense is hearsay. Even if he were to step into the witness box it would have no value in law because it would be what someone else told him. Therefore, he has nothing to depose," Advocate Chandrachud said.

Param Bir Singh In Thane

He has also appeared before Thane police on Friday, where yet he is accused of yet another extortion with 28 others, including six police officers. Developer Ketan Tanna is the complainant in the case which was registered in July this year and a non-bailable warrant was issued against Singh in the case as well.

The Supreme Court had, earlier this week, granted relief to Singh from arrest and directed him to join the investigation. In the previous hearing, the court refused to entertain his plea till the time he did not disclose his whereabouts as he was untraceable for over six months. Singh's lawyers then told the court that he didn't want to abscond and was very much in India.

Singh was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner in March 2021 few days after the National Investigation Agency arrested Sachin Waze in connection with the cases of bomb scare at industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia and alleged murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran who supposedly owned the vehicle in which the explosives were left outside Antilia.

This was followed by a letter from Singh to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray where he levelled corruption allegations against then state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Multiple FIRs have been registered against Singh since then.