Param Bir Singh fined for not appearing before inquiry commission
An inquiry commission headed by a retired high court judge has imposed a fine of Rs. 25,000 on former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh for not appearing before it. The Maharashtra government in March 2021, had formed a one-member commission of Justice(retd) Kailash Uttamchand Chandiwal to conduct a probe into corruption allegations leveled by Singh against the then state home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Panel had given Singh 'last chance' to appear
As Singh failed to appear before the commission on Wednesday, a fine of Rs. 25,000 was imposed on him, a government lawyer said on Thursday. During the previous hearing, the probe panel had given Singh "last chance" to appear before it. This is the second instance of a fine being imposed on Singh.
Commission had asked Singh to pay a fine in June
In June, the commission had asked the senior IPS officer to pay a fine of Rs. 5,000 for not appearing before it despite a summons. The amount was to be deposited in the Chief Minister's COVID-19 Relief Fund.
'Deshmukh asked police officers to collect money from bar owners'
Days after he was shunted out as Mumbai Police commissioner and transferred to the Home Guards in March, Singh claimed in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh used to ask police officers to collect money from restaurant and bar owners in Mumbai. Deshmukh, an NCP leader, has denied the allegations.
CBI and ED are probing the allegations made against Deshmukh
The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the allegations made against Deshmukh. Last month, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to conduct a probe into an extortion case against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and seven others registered at Mumbai's Marine Drive Police Station and another case registered with the crime branch, an official said.
