A court in Thane on Friday cancelled a non-bailable warrant against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh in an extortion case, India Today reported.
The court directed him to furnish a bond of Rs 50,000 and to appear before the investigating officer whenever called.
The non-bailable warrant had been issued on October 26 in relation to a case filed by businesspersons Sonu Jalan, Ketan Tanna and Moonirahmed Pathan. Tanna had alleged that Singh, during his tenure as the Thane police commissioner, had extorted Rs 1.25 crore from him by threatening to frame him in criminal cases.
Jalan had also alleged that Singh and some other police personnel had extorted Rs 3.45 crore from him.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had granted the former Mumbai police chief protection from arrest in the cases registered against him, but asked him to join the investigations. In the earlier hearing on November 18, the court had refused to grant him protection until the officer disclosed his whereabouts.
Singh reached Mumbai on Thursday to join the investigation in a separate extortion case, days after a magistrate’s court in the city had declared him a “proclaimed offender”. He had been absconding since last month.
In March, Singh had accused former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of extorting money from owners of bars, restaurants and hookah parlours in Mumbai. A month later, the Bombay High Court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations.
Permissible action will be taken, says Maharashtra home minister
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said on Friday that permissible action will be taken against Singh as per the police service rules, ANI reported.
“Further decisions will be taken after speaking to the Chief Minister,” Walse-Patil said.
Meanwhile, the Thane police commissioner had formed a Special Investigation Team to look into the extortion case against Singh. An officer of the level of the Deputy Commissioner of Police is investigating the case.
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