Param Bir deposes in extortion case filed over ex-IAS officer’s complaint

Singh, who had granted sanction to charge the three accused under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2018, told the court that he does not remember whether he had gone through the audio of alleged conversations between gangster Ravi Pujari, accused Shraddha Mangle and Mopalwar while granting the sanction.

The Thane Police had arrested Shraddha, her husband Satish Mangle and another accused, Atul Tawde, on charges of extortion and MCOCA, claiming that the offence was committed at the behest of Pujari in 2018.

MCOCA was invoked against the three based on grounds like the alleged involvement of Pujari. Singh told the court that he had received a proposal from the Thane Police Crime Branch ACP seeking sanction under MCOCA on January 18, 2018, and had granted the same five days later, after finding it a fit case to invoke the charge.

During cross-examination by the defence lawyers, Singh said that it was not his job as the sanctioning authority to ask the investigating officer why Pujari’s voice sample was not obtained to compare with the threat calls received by Mopalwar.

While admitting that an FIR was registered against him where Pujari is the co-accused, Singh said that the case was transferred to the CBI by the Supreme Court for a probe. He denied that he had hatched the conspiracy along with the investigating officer and Pujari.