It has been a roller coaster ride for Sanjay Pandey, a 1986 batch senior IPS officer, serving in Maharashtra.
Pandey has become Mumbai Police's commissioner just four months before his retirement, if not extended, which is highly unlikely in today's scenario when the state and central governments are at loggerhead. Pandey, the IIT-Kanpur graduate, had been sidelined for many years. His tenure also involved resignation from the force and also contesting an election.
Pandey is known to have treated people equally without considering their political affiliations, following the rule book and entertaining no political requests that had earned him applauds. This 'no-nonsense' attitude also cost him dearly over the years, which was a major reason for his sidelined posting so far, according to another IPS officer.
During his few postings in Mumbai, Pandey has handled Dharavi, post Mumbai riots as an additional charge, which has been one of the highlights of his career. He had maintained peace in the densely populated area of the city by being a strict officer. Following this, he had been given charge of the zone, wherein he solved the menace of illegal parking of taxis there. However many believe that it was the handling of Dharavi area that had cost him his DGP post earlier.
During his Dharavi tenure, he had not spared anyone from any party, including those from current leader of MVA government-- Shiv Sena. The locals there who used to address him as 'Dharavi Wale Pandey Ji' and had held protest to revoke his transfer. Late BJP leader Gopinath Munde was also arrested by him.
As he was a popular figure there and had even contested an election from the area in 2000 when he had put his papers.
In 1998 during his tenure as DCP Economic Offences Wing, Pandey had investigated the Cobbler scam case which led to his sudden transfer to Jalna. The scam was allegedly in connection to the loans taken from banks posing as members of a cobblers' society, which had alleged links with the politicians.
Following this he took up a central deputation and was attached to the PM's security unit.
After resigning, Pandey took up a private job but after state government did not accept his resignation for a year, he had joined the police force again.
Pandey even had to approach the court after he was kept on 'compulsory waiting' for over three years. It was only after the court's nod that Pandey had got the posting of DG Home Guards.
After the senior IPS expressed his displeasure for side postings at various platforms Pandey had been made acting DGP on April 9 last year. He was give the acting charge as he was not among the three selected IPS officer by UPSC empanelment committee for the top post. He was replaced recently from the post after PIL was filed at Bombay HC against his appointment.
