Former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh fined Rs 5,000 for not appearing before commission

MUMBAI: A commission headed by a retired High Court judge on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh for not appearing before it despite a summons.

The Maharashtra government in March this year formed a one-member commission of Justice (retd) Kailash Uttamchand Chandiwal to probe corruption allegations leveled by Singh against then state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Days after he was shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner and transferred to Home Guards, Singh claimed in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh used to ask police officers to collect money from restaurant and bar owners in Mumbai.

Deshmukh, an NCP leader, denied the allegations.

Singh did not appear before the commission on Tuesday and his lawyer filed an application saying that the summons was not served to him.

The commission, however, held that the summons had been duly served, and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the IPS officer, to be deposited in the Chief Minister's Covid Relief Fund, said a government lawyer.

He had not appeared on a previous occasion too, the lawyer added.

The commission, which has been given six months by the state government to submit its report, will hold a hearing on Wednesday too, he said.