The Maharashtra government recently withdrew all charges against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. In an order dated May 10, 2023, the state government also annulled suspension orders issued in December 2021, stating that he should be considered on duty during his suspension period.
Maharashtra government drops all charges against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. The state government also quashed the suspension orders issued in December 2021 and said that he was on duty during the period of suspension. pic.twitter.com/7ER4Vj21ZQ
— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2023
“The memorandum of charges dated 02/12/2021 issued against Shri. Param Bir Singh, IPS (Retd) under Rule 8 of All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 is being withdrawn and the said matter is being closed,” an order dated May 10 issued by Joint Secretary to Government, Venkatesh Bhat stated.
Regarding Param Bir Singh’s suspension, the order stated, “As per the provisions of the All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules. 1958, the suspension of Shri. Param Bir Singh. IPS (Retd) is revoked by this order, and the period of suspension from 02/12/2021 to 30/06/2022 shall be treated as a period spent on duty for all purposes.”
Maharashtra govt drops all charges against former @MumbaiPolice commissioner Param Bir Singh and revokes suspension orders issued in December 2021 and orders the suspension period to be treated on duty @IPS_Association @fpjindia pic.twitter.com/I40gwsKYmz
— dharmesh thakkar (@newzhit) May 12, 2023
It is notable that Singh retired in June last year and the recent order will impact the pension that he will receive as a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.
There was a conflict between Singh, the then-Mumbai Police Commissioner, and Anil Deshmukh, the then-state home minister, right after the Antilia bomb scare case, in which explosives were found outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
Reacting the decision to drop all charges against Param Bir Singh, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal) gave a judgement under which Param Bir Singh’s departmental inquiry was declared wrong and ordered its closure. It labelled his suspension wrong & requested to take back the suspension order. According to that, this decision was taken”.
Param Bir Singh suspended for irregularities and lapses
In December 2021, Param Bir Singh, who was posted as the DGP of the Maharashtra Home Guard at the time, was suspended by the Uddhav Thackeray-led previous Maharashtra government.
Param Bir Singh was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner after the Antilia bomb scare case. He was then demoted and made the Director General of Maharashtra State Home Guard after he levelled corruption and extortion charges against former home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Extortion charges were filed against Param Bir Singh and 28 others, including six police officials, in July 2021. They were accused of extorting money from a builder named Shyam Sunder Agarwal.
On the allegation of builder-turned-hotelier Bimal Agrawal, another extortion case was filed against Bir Singh at Goregaon police station. Agarwal alleged that Param Bir Singh and suspended police officer Sachin Waze extorted him of cash and valuables totalling Rs 11 lakh.
Before the Antilia bomb scare case, Param Bir Singh was in controversy for naming Republic TV in the TRP scam case when the FIR in the case didn’t name the channel. Officials of the channel were hounded by Mumbai police led by Singh at that time, but later the Maharashtra govt admitted in court that Republic TV is not named in the FIR in the TRP case. In December last year, he was imposed a penalty of Rs 1500 by a court after he withdrew a defamation case against Arnab Goswami.
Last year, Param Bir Singh had confirmed that the TRP case against Republic Media Network was a hoax and part of a planned conspiracy against Journalist Arnab Goswami. During an interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Singh also alleged that ex-Police Officer Sachin Vaze was taking instructions from the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in the TRP case along with other cases.
Under Param Bir Singh, Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami was also arrested under an old case that was already closed. It was found that former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Parambir Singh was harassing Goswami in a closed case. But later Param Bir Singh turned against Deshmukh, saying that tainted police officer Sachin Vaze was asked to collect Rs 100 crores in extortion money every month by Deshmukh. He had also revealed that Arnab Goswami was deliberately targeted in an old case related to the abetment of suicide under specific orders from the MVA government.
Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze are facing multiple criminal charges in the Antilla bomb scare case, Mansukh Hiren murder case and other cases.
