Mumbai : The Maharashtra government has withdrawn all the charges against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh during the departmental proceedings. Along with this, his suspension order has also been cancelled. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will continue to probe the five cases registered against Singh, an official said on Friday. The retired IPS officer is facing several cases of extortion, corruption and misconduct.
Government took steps after CAT’s decision: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while talking to the media in Nagpur, said that following the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to close the departmental inquiry against Parambir Singh, the government decided to revoke his suspension order. The CAT order said that the departmental inquiry was wrong. On the other hand, the government official said that the order to cancel the suspension of Parambir Singh and withdraw all the allegations related to the departmental inquiry started in 2021 was issued by the State Home Department on Wednesday.
Deployment on duty will be considered as suspension period
The official said that according to the order issued by the Home Department, the period of suspension of retired IPS officer Parambir Singh will be treated as his being on duty. The order said that in view of CAT’s decision, the suspension order of Parambir Singh is set aside and his suspension period from December 2, 2021 to June 30, 2022 will be treated as his being on duty for all purposes. At least four FIRs related to extortion were registered against Parambir Singh in Mumbai and Thane. He was suspended in December 2021. At that time there was a three-party alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. He served as the commissioner of both Mumbai and Thane during his long police career.
Why was Parambir Singh suspended
March 2021 after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waje in connection with the discovery of an explosives-laden SUV near India’s industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s South Mumbai residence ‘Antilia’, according to media reports. Parambir Singh was transferred from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner. Subsequently, the 1988-batch IPS officer wrote an explosive letter to the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that state home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked police officers to collect Rs 100 crore in a month from Mumbai hotels . At the same time, Anil Deshmukh denied these allegations. The then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government suspended Parambir Singh and stopped his salary.
Parambir Singh had also filed a petition in the High Court
The order of the Home Department mentions that the government also initiated a departmental inquiry against the senior police officer and during the proceedings eight serious allegations were leveled against him. Parambir Singh had submitted his defense statement in December 2021 through email and denied all the allegations. He also filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, urging quashing of the investigation, but the petition was dismissed.
Big blow to Uddhav government from Supreme Court, CBI will investigate against Parambir Singh
All files against Parambir Singh closed
Later, he approached the Supreme Court, which made certain observations regarding the departmental inquiry and suspension of Parambir Singh, the home department order said. Simultaneously, Parambir Singh also approached CAT, which decided to withdraw the charge sheet against him. The order issued by the Home Department said that accordingly the charge sheet has been withdrawn and the matter is being closed. In another order in this regard, it was said that it has been decided by the competent authority to withdraw the departmental inquiry proceedings against the former police chief of Mumbai.
