Param Bir appears before judicial commission

Param Bir Singh, had alleged that Anil Deshmukh asked police officers to collect ₹100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in the city.

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. File Image.

Former Police Commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh on Monday appeared before a judicial commission and got his bail warrant cancelled.

The one-member commission of retired justice K.U. Chandiwal was constituted to inquire about the corruption allegations against Anil Deshmukh, former Home Minister of Maharashtra.

The Commission cancelled the bail warrant and directed Mr Singh to deposit ₹15,000 in the Chief Minister's relief fund within a week for not appearing before it earlier. Mr Singh appeared before the Commission only after the Supreme Court granted him protection from arrest on November 22. He filed an affidavit stating he has no further evidence and nothing more to say to the Commission regarding allegations levied against Mr Deshmukh.

On November 23, his lawyer Abhinav Chandrachud told the Commission that Mr Singh's allegations are

hearsay and he has no first hand information of what transpired.

Two bailable warrants have also been issued against Mr Singh by the Chandiwal commission. It was appointed on March 30 by the Maharashtra Government to inquire into the allegations made by Mr Singh in a letter he wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20. The letter has mentioned several instances where Mr Anil Deshmukh directed suspended police officer Sachin Vaze (currently lodged at Taloja Central Jail) to collect ₹100 crore a month from bars and restaurants.