Apex court notice to Maharashtra on police chief appointment

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Maharashtra government on a lawsuit challenging its appointment of S.S. Virk as the state police chief despite his dubious service record and a corruption case pending against him in Punjab.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Maharashtra government on a lawsuit challenging its appointment of S.S. Virk as the state police chief despite his dubious service record and a corruption case pending against him in Punjab.

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A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam also issued notices to the central and Punjab governments on a lawsuit by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, which also questioned the Maharashtra government’s July 2009 decision to extend Virk’s tenure by three months.

The CPIL lawsuit contended that Virk was appointed Maharahstra police chief despite the fact that he is “facing two departmental proceedings against him in the Punjab police for his series of misconducts committed while on deputation there”.

“The Punjab government has also indicted him in a criminal-cum-corruption case, which is pending in the trial court of Mohali,” said the lawsuit.

Listing several acts of omission and commission by Virk, the former Punjab police chief, senior counsel Prashant Bhushan in his lawsuit said that “during his tenure on deputation in Punjab, Virk repeatedly lied and concealed information in his annual property returns submitted to the government and misused his official position and flouted all rules and regulations to acquire assets.”

“He constructed and managed an illegal resort-cum-night club without intimation to the government,” said Prashant Bhushan in his lawsuit, adding that “Virk had opened about 35 bank accounts under fictitious names in violation of the Reserve bank of India guidelines.”

“He also indulged in financial transactions of unaccounted black money for the purpose of funding of elections,” he said.