Read Time: 07 minutes

Ex-Police Commissioner, Mumbai, Mr. Parambir Singh has moved Bombay High Court seeking fair investigation into the alleged Extortion racket by the State Home Minister, Shri Anil Deshmukh.

This development comes in right after the Supreme Court Bench led by Justice Kaul refused to entertain his plea seeking CBI probe against allegations of extortion racket made against Home Minister, Mr. Anil Deshmukh and further granted liberty to approach the concerned High Court under Article 226.

"Let's be clear, the parties in the present case were hunky-dory for a very long time. Now that things have fallen apart, they have come before us," Justice SK Kaul said. 

It is the submission of the Petitioner that Shri Anil Deshmukh had been holding meetings in February, 2021 at his residence with police officers including Shri Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai and Shri Sanjay Patil, ACP Social Service Branch, Mumbai, instructing them to accumulate Rupees 100 crores every month and further to collect money from various establishments across the city.

Furthermore, it is placed on record that the petitioner had brought corrupt practices of the Home Minister into the knowledge of other senior leaders of the Party but resultantly, on 17.03.2021 an order vide Notification of the Home Department of the Respondent No. 1, the Petitioner was maliciously transferred from the post of the Police Commissioner of Mumbai to the Home Guard Department in an arbitrary manner without the completion of the minimum fixed tenure of two years, citing “administrative exigencies” 

Prayers Sought

1. To issue a writ of Mandamus or any other writ/order/direction directing immediate unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation by the Respondent No. 3, Central Bureau of Investigation in various corrupt malpractices of Respondent No. 4, Mr. Anil Deshmukh, in abuse of his esteem position of Home Minister of Government of Maharashtra.
2. To issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order or direction directing the Respondent No. 1 to ensure that transfer/posting of police officials are neither done on any consideration of pecuniary benefits to any politician, nor in contravention of the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006) 8 SCC 1 which were based on the principle of insulating police machinery from political/executive interference to make it more efficient and to strengthen the Rule of Law
3. Pass any other order/s as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit, expedient and necessary in the interest of Justice.

Interim Orders Prayed For

1. Issue directions to Respondent No. 1 to produce before this Hon’ble Court complete file containing report of Ms. Rashmi Shukla, as Commissioner (Intelligence), State Intelligence Department, and also connected file of Home Department, Government of Maharashtra, with complete file notings, evidence gathered, comments exchanged thereon and communications if any issued therein
2. Issue directions to any independent agency to forthwith take custody of entire CCTV footage from the residence of Respondent No. 4 Shri Anil Deshmukh
3. Pass any other order/s as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit, expedient and necessary in the interest of Justice.

Also read PIL Moved In Bombay High Court Seeking Investigation Against Politicians, Police Personnel And Others Involved In The Extortion Racket Running In Mumbai