E-Paper
CBI records statements of former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze
The agency also recorded the statements of 2 other cops. Advocate Jaishri Patil, who had petitioned hc seeking probe into corruption allegations against ex-home min, will record her statement on friday
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recorded the statements of former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Sanjay Patil and suspended officer Sachin Vaze on Thursday in connection with the corruption allegation made by the ex-top cop against former home minister Anil Deshmukh. Deputy commissioner of police Raju Bhujbal was also summoned by the central agency on Thursday and CBI was recording his statements till the time of going to print.
In his statement, Singh submitted the printout of Patil’s chat with him, in which the ACP mentioned meeting Deshmukh, said a CBI official.
“Singh has also handed over some other documents as evidence. As of now, we have recorded statements of Jaishri Patil, Singh, Patil and Vaze, and are investigating further,” the official said.
CBI had also summoned advocate Jaishri Patil on Thursday to record her further statement, but she informed the agency in the morning that she had to attend the hearing of the appeal filed by Maharashtra government and Deshmukh, challenging the Bombay high court (HC) order which directed the central agency to conduct preliminary inquiry into the corruption allegations.
Jaishri Patil, whose statements were recorded on Wednesday too, said she will be visiting the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) guest house in Santacruz (East) on Friday to give CBI her further statement. HC directed CBI to submit a report on preliminary inquiry in 15 days based on her petition.
Based on HC’s order, a team of 10 officers – including a superintendent of police – from Delhi visited Mumbai to investigate the matter and filed a preliminary inquiry on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, CBI had approached the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, seeking permission to record the statement of Vaze, who is in NIA custody for allegedly planting an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house on February 25. Vaze’s statement was recorded following the NIA court’s permission. Singh had also named Vaze in his eight-page letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in which he had alleged that Deshmukh had asked the suspended officer and two other officers to collect ₹100 crore from bars and restaurants in the city.
While directing CBI to conduct a preliminary probe on Monday in a 52-page judgment, HC had observed that the Malabar Hill police had failed to take action on Jaishri Patil’s complaint, which had pointed to a cognisable offence being committed by Deshmukh.
HC noted that it could not remain a “mute spectator” to the complaints received against high-level officers and ruled, “It is, hence, certainly an issue of credibility of state machinery, which would stare at face when confronted with the expectations of law and when such complaints are received against high-ranking public officials. This court cannot be a mute spectator in these circumstances.”
