Param Bir Singh privately meets Sachin Vaze for about an hour

Param Bir Singh on Monday met Sachin Vaze and spoke to him for about an hour at Old Secretariat Building in Fort, from where the Justice K U Chandiwal commission is conducting its enquiry

MUMBAI Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh on Monday met dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze and privately spoke to him for about an hour at Old Secretariat Building in Fort, south Mumbai, from where the Justice K U Chandiwal commission is conducting its enquiry proceedings. The Chandiwal commission was set up on March 30 this year by the Maharashtra government to inquire into the allegations by Singh against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh accusing him of running an extortion racket using Mumbai Police.

The Chandiwal commission was set up on March 30 this year by the Maharashtra government to enquire into Param Bir Singh (HT File)

At around 10.30am on Monday, Singh, who is named as an accused in five FIRs, including cases of four extortion and one case under the Atrocities Act, attended his office – located on the first floor of the same building – in his capacity as commandant general of Maharashtra Home Guards. Around 11 am, he appeared before the Chandiwal Commission on an upper floor of the same building, and got a bailable warrant against him cancelled.

Singh simultaneously filed an affidavit explaining that he could not appear before the commission earlier on account of health issues. He also sought exemption from physical appearance before the Chandiwal commission. Close to 10 minutes later, Singh went to the adjoining room, according to those familiar with the matter.

As the commission completed formalities of cancelling the bailable warrant against Singh, the 56-year-old IPS officer met Vaze in an adjoining room. Vaze, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and lodged in Taloja jail in connection with the Antilia explosives scare and the connected murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran, was brought to the commission’s office for cross examination.

A lawyer familiar with the matter said the meeting between Singh and Vaze occurred with prior permission of the commission. However, the commission’s lawyer, Advocate Shishir Hiray, rubbished the claim. “As per my knowledge, no permission was taken from the special NIA court for any such meeting,” Hiray said, adding that Vaze is currently in judicial custody of the NIA court.

Former state home minister Anil Deshmukh’s lawyers, however, took strong objection to the meeting and informed Justice (retired) KU Chandiwal about this. They pointed out that both of them face serious criminal charges, and should not be allowed to meet privately. A money-laundering case against Deshmukh was registered on May 11 this year on the basis of the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI’s) FIR of April 21. The CBI FIR was, in turn, based on allegations of corruption levelled by Singh.

Justice Chandiwal, a former Bombay high court judge, said, “How can I keep watch on everything and stop them from meeting. But, to avoid such situation in the future, it is better that he (Vaze) sits in this room (where the commission is functioning from).”

Taking note of the meeting between the two accused, Mumbai police on Monday conducted a quick enquiry. “An assistant commissioner of police (ACP) conducted a preliminary inquiry into the apparent lapse,” said Dr Hari Balaji N, deputy commissioner of police, zone 1. “After recording statements of the police escort party – a sub-inspector and three constables – the inquiry report was handed over to Navi Mumbai police for further action, as the escort party personnel are attached to Navi Mumbai police.”

After being incommunicado for several months, Singh – a 1988-batch IPS officer – had resurfaced in his hometown Chandigarh on November 24, two days after the Supreme Court gave him protection from arrest by Maharashtra police and directed him to join investigations in the pending cases against him.

He came to Mumbai last week and joined the investigations conducted by the Mumbai Police crime branch and Thane police, and is expected to appear before the state CID in three cases this week.

The 56-year-old IPS officer was shunted out from the post of Mumbai police commissioner this year on March 17 and was transferred to the Home Guards after Vaze was arrested in Antilia security scare and Hiran murder case.

Three days later, on March 20, Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, claiming that Deshmukh had been running an extortion racket using some Mumbai police officials, including Vaze, amounting to ₹100 crore a month. This accusation eventually resulted in an FIR by the CBI against Deshmukh and the initiation of money-laundering proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate.

Noted criminal lawyer and former Rajya Sabha MP Majeed Memon said this meeting will be considered illegal. “If such an event (meeting) has occurred, it’s absolutely illegal as no one can meet an accused who is in judicial custody and that too when someone facing charges of heinous crimes without the permission of the concerned court,” he said. “Moreover, in this case, the person (Singh) who met the accused is himself an accused in several cases.”

He added, “There are certain rules and procedures that need to be followed in such cases, and if it is not followed then the concerned court can take appropriate action, if a complaint is made.”

Former IPS officer turned lawyer YP Singh said, “In such cases, the concerned court can take initiate contempt of court proceedings against the person involved in violation of legal procedures.”