‘An effort to…’: Sanjay Raut on CBI taking over probe of ex-Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh

As many as five cases of extortion and corruption have been lodged against former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court said that it hopes the CBI to conduct an “impartial inquiry” into all aspects of the charges levelled against Singh.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Supreme Court's order to transfer all cases filed against former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was an effort to offer “solace to someone”, adding the move was not a setback for the Maharashtra government.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the Supreme Court's order to transfer all cases filed against former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh is not a “setback” for the Maharashtra government. (PTI)

“It is not a setback to the state government…it is just one more effort to give solace to someone,” PTI quoted Raut as saying.

The Rajya Sabha MP said that whenever the Maharashtra government tried to reach the “real culprits” and made attempts to take action based on real facts “such decisions come”.

“I am surprised that all relief is being received by people concerned with only one party,” Raut added.

He further said the Maharashtra Police was the “most impartial” force in the country and it was unfortunate that a “big conspiracy” was being framed against the western state. “The people of Maharashtra are taking note of it,” he added.

A bench of justices SK Kaul and MM Sundresh ordered the transfer of five cases against Singh to the CBI earlier in the day. The apex court asked for the handover process to be completed from the Maharashtra government's side within a week.

During the hearing, the top court said the central agency must carry out an “impartial inquiry” into all aspects of the extortion and corruption allegations levelled against the former Mumbai top police officer.

Last month, the Supreme Court gave relief to Singh that was valid till March 9. The 58-year-old officer had been absconding for six months before finally showing up in November last year - the first time before police on November 25, and again on November 29 before a judicial commission.

Of the five cases registered against Singh, one was related to a bomb scare at Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani's home Antilia last year. Following this incident, Singh had written to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray claiming that former state home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked officials to collect ₹100 crore from Mumbai businessmen.