Param Bir Singh rewarded for slandering MVA govt: Cong leader Patole

Nana Patole. File Pic

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has alleged that the Eknath Shinde-led state government dropped charges against retired IPS officer Param Bir Singh as a reward for maligning the image of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The state government dropped the charges against Singh, a former Mumbai police commissioner, following a ruling by the Central Administrative Tribunal.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Patole alleged that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis "deliberately weakened the case and ensured that the IPS officer would walk free on technical grounds." Singh defamed the MVA government of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress by accusing the then home minister Anil Deshmukh of corruption, Patole said.

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The Bombay High Court had given clear instructions to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR against Singh following a probe, and a departmental inquiry was also expected, the Congress leader said. But the Shinde-Fadnavis government did nothing and ensured Singh's suspension order would not get an extension, he alleged.

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An official last Friday said the Maharashtra government has dropped all charges brought during a departmental enquiry against Singh and revoked the suspension order against him. However, the CBI will continue to probe five cases registered by it against Singh, he said.

Singh is facing multiple cases of extortion, corruption and misconduct. Fadnavis last week said the government decided to revoke Singh's suspension order following the Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) decision to close the departmental inquiry against him. The CAT order stated the departmental inquiry was wrongful, he added.

Singh was transferred from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner in March 2021 after the arrest of assistant police inspector Sachin Waze by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the seizure of an explosives-laden SUV from near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence 'Antilia' in south Mumbai.

Subsequently, the 1988-batch IPS officer wrote an explosive letter to then CM Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked police officers to collect Rs 100 crore a month from hotels in Mumbai. Deshmukh denied the allegations. The then MVA government placed Singh under suspension and put his salary on hold.

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