Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh did not appear before the state-appointed one-member judicial commission on Wednesday despite being given several chances since July. This hasn’t gone down well with the commission and they are dissatisfied with his conduct. An arrest warrant was also issued to him last month.
The commission headed by former Bombay HC judge Justice (retd) Kailash Chandiwal was appointed by the state earlier this year to probe into the Rs 100-crore corruption charges levelled by Singh against the then state home minister Anil Deshmukh.
On August 30, the Commission had granted a last chance to Singh to appear before it, but in vain. So, Justice Chandiwal had issued an arrest warrant against him on September 7. As per the bailable warrant, Singh was to appear before the Commission on September 22. But he didn't appear as the warrant couldn’t be served.
“The warrant issued on September 7 was sent to the DGP’s office who asked the CID officials to serve it. The CID sleuths went to Chandigarh and even visited various places in Mumbai, but he wasn't available,” said Bhaiyasaheb Behere, the registrar of the Commission.
Behere said that the CID was present before the Commission on Wednesday. “The CID told the Commission that they spoke to the doctors who had given Singh a medical certificate. Even doctors had no idea regarding Singh’s whereabouts,” Behere said.
Since the CID failed to serve the arrest warrant to Singh twice, the state agency moved an application before Justice Chandiwal, seeking a non-bailable warrant against Singh. “However, the said application and also the arrest warrant have been kept in abeyance, at least till October 18, which is the next date of the hearing,” Behere said.
He added, “Singh’s advocate has assured the Commisison that by next date he will be filing an affidavit, stating that his client doesn’t desire to lead any evidence before it.”
