Won’t arrest Param Bir, Shukla till July 3: Maharashtra to HC

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday adjourned till July 2 hearing on pleas filed by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh seeking quashing of an FIR lodged against him by the Thane Police under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and challenging preliminary inquiries initiated against him.

This comes after senior counsel Darius Khambata, appearing for the Maharashtra government, said that the state would not take any coercive action, including arrest, against Singh till July 3.

The HC also adjourned till July 2 hearing on a plea by senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla and former commissioner of the state intelligence department, against an “illegal” phone tapping case, registered by the Mumbai Police.

The state has assured the court that no coercive steps, including arrest, will be taken against Shukla till July 3.

A division bench of Justice S S Shinde and Justice N J Jamadar said that it will hear Singh and Shukla’s pleas after it concludes hearing the state’s petition seeking removal of two paragraphs from the April 21 corruption FIR

filed by CBI against Anil Deshmukh, along with the former home minister’s petition challenging entire FIR.

While one of the paragraphs pertained to allegations of Deshmukh being aware of the reinstatement of arrested Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze – arrested in the Ambani terror scare case and the murder of Mansukh Hiran – the other stated that Deshmukh and others exercised “undue influence” over the transfer and postings of officers.