NEW DELHI, Mar 24: Even while admitting that the issue raised by the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain the petition seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the conduct of the Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and directed him to approach the Bombay High Court.
“The petitioner is making some allegations and minister too is making allegations… We don’t see why you should not approach the High Court… We have no doubt the matter is quite serious, affecting the administration at large… liberty granted to approach HC,” said a bench of Justices S K Kaul and R Subhash Reddy.
Singh in his petition in the apex court had accused Deshmukh of asking now-suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month; of interfering in investigations; pressuring him to implicate BJP leaders in the alleged death by suicide in Mumbai of Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar; and indulging in “corrupt malpractices” in transfers and postings.
In his petition, Singh expressed fear that “evidence such as CCTV camera footage at the residence of… Deshmukh… may be destroyed if immediate directions to take over the same are not issued to CBI”.
“Each such act of…Deshmukh in abuse of the official position of the…Home Minister, whether in calling and directly instructing the police officers of lower rank such as…Vaze…for his malicious intent of extorting money from establishments across Mumbai and from other sources, or whether in interfering in the investigations and directing the same to be conducted in a particular manner, or whether indulging in corrupt malpractices in posting/transfers of officers, cannot be countenanced or justified in any democratic State,” he stated in his plea.
Meanwhile, the chief metropolitan magistrate court in Thane on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) to transfer the Mansukh Hiran murder case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) forthwith.
The court gave its order on an application filed by NIA on Tuesday seeking the transfer of the Mansukh Hiran murder case registered on March 7 to the special NIA court at Mumbai in view of a March 20 order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The case is being investigated by Maharashtra ATS.
Forty-eight-year-old Hiran, linked to the explosive-laden Mahindra Scorpio parked near Antilia, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai, was found dead on March 5. His body was found dumped in the creek at Reti Bunder near Mumbra, about 12 hours after he went missing late in the evening of March 4. Some handkerchiefs were stuffed in his mouth and his face was covered with a scarf when police took out the body from the creek.
Hiran’s belongings, such as his mobile phone, gold chain and ring and wallet were missing.
Though initially an accidental death report was registered by Mumbra Police in connection with the auto part dealer’s death, on March 7, ATS registered a murder case after his wife, Vimala, said she was sure that her husband was murdered and that suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze had a hand in it.
Vaze is already under arrest by NIA in the Antilia security scare case on March 13. NIA had taken over that case on March 8 following orders from MHA.
In another development, the NIA has slapped the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Vaze, officials said on Wednesday. Vaze is currently in NIA’s custody for his alleged role in planting an explosive-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25.
Vaze, an assistant police inspector (API) with the Mumbai Police, has been charged under sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA, officials said. These deal with an individual/group conspiring or attempt to commit or advocates, abets, the commission of a terrorist act or any act preparatory to the commission of a terror act.
The agency had detained Vaze earlier this month, before formally arresting him on March 13. He was the lead investigator in the case before it was transferred to the NIA by the Union home ministry. Separately, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has called him the “mastermind” behind the murder of Hiran who was the owner of the Scorpio which was found near Antilia.
(Manas Dasgupta)
