Maharashtra government starts process to suspend Param Bir Singh over extortion cases

The Maharashtra government has initiated the process to suspend former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and another police officer after they were named as accused in extortion cases, an official said on Saturday. The process began after a proposal was sent by the Director General of Police (DGP) to the state home department a few days ago, he said. In September, DGP Sanjay Pandey had sent a proposal to suspend Singh and other police officials named in alleged extortion cases, but the home department sought specific information about the role of each accused officer.

The DGP's office sent a fresh proposal this week, the home department official said. The department is considering the suspension of Param Bir Singh and a Deputy Commissioner of Police-rank officer who is named in these cases, but not others, he added. On Wednesday, a magistrate's court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Singh in an extortion case registered at Marine Drive police station here by real estate developer Shyamsunder Agrawal.

It was the third NBW issued against Singh. Earlier courts had issued warrants in cases of extortion registered at Goregaon in Mumbai and in neighbouring Thane against him.


The IPS officer was shunted out from the post of Mumbai police commissioner in March this year after assistant police inspector Sachin Waze (now dismissed) was arrested in the case of the SUV with explosives found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's south Mumbai house, and subsequent death of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

Singh subsequently accused then state home minister Anil Deshmukh of asking police officials to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Deshmukh, who denied the allegation, stepped down as minister and is facing CBI probe.