Mumbai: The one-member commission of Justice K U Chandiwal (retired), set up to probe the corruption charges against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh levelled by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh, has given a clean chit to Deshmukh. The commission submitted its 201-page report along with 1,400 pages of annexures to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the present home minister, Dilip Walse Patil, on Tuesday.
A senior home department officer privy to the commission’s findings told The Free Press Journal, “The commission did not find substance in the allegations levelled against Deshmukh by Singh. It has cited Singh’s submission, in which the former Mumbai police commissioner had clearly said that he had no evidence but for the letter written to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Singh had claimed that Deshmukh asked police officers to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars and restaurants in the city.” The officer referred to Singh’s submission citing that there was no direct evidence to substantiate his charges against Deshmukh, who had already refuted Singh’s charges.
The commission’s terms of reference included: “Has Param Bir Singh given any proof in his letter to substantiate his charges against Anil Deshmukh or any official working in his department? Do the charges based on the information procured from ACP Sanjay Patil and dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze indicate that Deshmukh or anyone from his department has committed offences so as to necessitate a probe by any investigative agency?”
A home department officer said that the commission’s report is likely to be presented at the state cabinet and later, the government will take a call on making it public.
During the nearly year-long probe, the commission had recorded the statements of Deshmukh, dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze and others. Singh had appeared before the commission once, after multiple summons.
In multiple affidavits, Singh had told the commission that he had nothing more to share other than the information he had provided in his letter to the chief minister.
