The Maharashtra government dropped all charges and revoked the suspension of former Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Param Bir Singh.
The Home Department, on May 10, revoked the suspension order that was issued in December 2021 and said the period of Mr. Singh’s suspension, till the date of his retirement, should be treated as “being on duty”.
“It is under consideration of the Competent Authority to revoke the suspension order dated December 2, 2021, issued against Param Bir Singh in the view of order given by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT),” the order stated.
“As per provisions of the All India Services (Death-Cum-Recruitment Benefits) Rules 1958, the suspension of Param Bir Singh is revoked by the order and the period of suspension from December 2, 2021 to June 30, 2022, shall be treated as period spent on duty for all purposes,” it said.
The 59-year-old was suspended and disciplinary proceedings were initiated against him for “administrative lapses” including unauthorised absence from duty. He was transferred from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner for “mishandling” the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case and given charge as Director-General of Maharashtra Home Guard in March that year, but did not show up for several months.
On February 25, 2021, an explosives-laden SUV was found on Carmichael Road outside Antilia, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The car also had a threat note addressed to Mr. Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited. Mr. Singh was transferred to Home Guard following the arrest of Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze in the Antilia case.
After his transfer, Mr. Singh wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that then Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh (who had appointed Mr. Singh as Commissioner) directed Mr. Vaze and others to collect ₹100 crore from bars and restaurants in a month. This led to the stepping down of Mr. Deshmukh as the Home Minister.
The 1988-batch IPS officer was also declared as an “absconding accused” in connection with an extortion case after he failed to appear before police in November 2021. Subsequently, the Supreme Court granted him protection from arrest.
In December 2019, as head of the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau, he had given clean chit to then Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, who was facing charges related to execution of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation project.
