New Delhi: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh was, on Monday, granted protection from arrest by the Supreme Court, after his lawyer told the top court that Singh was ready to appear before CBI within 48 hours. The court asked Param Bir Singh to join the investigation. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Param Bir Singh’s plea and issues notice to the Maharashtra government and CBI & posts the matter for hearing on December 6th. Earlier, Param Bir Singh’s advocate also told the court that he is in India but has been hiding as he faces threat to his life from Mumbai Police.
In the previous hearing on the matter, the Supreme Court had clarified that it will hear Singh’s petition only after the lawyer discloses where Param Bir Singh is. “No protection, no hearing till we have the answer to the question – where are you?” the bench of Supreme Court headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had said. A Mumbai court has previously declared Singh a proclaimed offender as he did not show up for the hearing despite several notices against him. Subsequently, a non-bailable warrant was issued against the former Mumbai top cop.
Singh was transferred as director-general, Home Guards after he wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, making sensational claims of extortion and corruption against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. The Mumbai Police had told the court that Param Bir Singh’s whereabouts were not known. He had reportedly sought leaves and travelled to his native village. He subsequently stopped responding to notices issued to him by the probe agencies. In October, the Bombay High Court had thrashed the petition filed by Param Bir Singh, challenging the inquiries ordered against him by the Maharashtra government.