The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim protection from arrest of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh till January 11 in connection with the criminal cases filed against him, Live Law reported.
Five cases of extortion have been filed against Singh.
The Supreme Court said on Monday that the Mumbai Police could continue investigating the cases against Singh but asked them not to file any chargesheets, according to Live Law.
At the hearing, Justices SK Kaul and MM Sundresh also sought the Central Bureau of Investigation’s response to Singh’s petition that the cases against him be transferred to the agency, The Indian Express reported.
The former police chief argued that the cases were linked to matters that were already under the central agency’s scrutiny.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the cases should be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Live Law reported.
“But I will file an affidavit articulating the same,” he added.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting an inquiry against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who had been accused of corruption by Singh in March.
Singh had alleged that Deshmukh extorted money from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
The Nationalist Congress Party leader had resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet because of the accusations. In April, the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a case against him based on Singh’s claims.
In June, the Enforcement Directorate initiated a money laundering case against the politician based on the CBI’s chargesheet. He is currently in judicial custody.
Singh’s lawyer told the Supreme Court on Monday said that he needed protection as he had shown the courage to speak out against Deshmukh, NDTV reported.
But the Maharashtra government said Singh could not be considered a whistleblower because he made the accusations only after he was removed as the police commissioner of Mumbai.
After his removal from the post, Singh was made the director-general of the Maharashtra Home Guard. He was suspended from service on Thursday after not showing up for duty for the last six months.
Two days after Singh’s suspension, the Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet against him in one of the extortion cases.. The chargesheet also named dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze and two others.
The case is based on a complaint filed by a businessman, who alleged that the accused persons had extorted Rs 9 lakh from him for sparing his two bars in Mumbai’s Goregaon area from raids. The man had also accused Singh and Vaze of forcing him to buy them two smartphones worth over Rs 2 lakh.
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