SC Dismisses Maharashtra Govt's Petition Challenging CBI Probe Order Into Param Bir Singh's Allegations

The Supreme Court on Thursday (8 April) declined to entertain petitions by the Maharashtra government and former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, challenging the Bombay High Court order directing a preliminary enquiry by the CBI into corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hemant Gupta said: "The nature of allegations is serious and the personas involved require investigations by independent agency...it is a matter of public confidence."

The top court was convinced with the Bombay High Court order and without hearing the arguments of opposite parties, dismissed the petitions filed by Maharashtra government and Deshmukh.

"He (Deshmukh) did not resign when the state set up a Commission of Enquiry. He quit after High Court order. He was clinging to office," it observed.

During the hearing, the bench also remarked that former Mumbai Police Commissioner, who made the allegations against him, was not Deshmukh's enemy but instead, "was almost his right hand man".

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Deshmukh, submitted that allegations against his client were only hearsay and have no evidentiary value, and cannot become ground for a CBI probe into the matter. As he insisted that his client should have been heard before the High Court passed the order for CBI enquiry, the bench noted that CBI investigation into the matter is not an attack on the federal structure.

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