NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra government and former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh have moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Bombay High Court order directing a CBI preliminary enquiry into corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
A division bench of Bombay High Court comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni on Monday had asked the CBI to complete its "preliminary probe" within 15 days on the issues raised by Singh in his "letter-bomb" last month.
However, the court said that the CBI need not register a First Information Report (FIR) immediately as the Maharashtra government has already set up a 'high-level committee' to probe the matter. "The Government Resolution by the state government for a high-level committee leads us to believe that there is no interference required, " said Chief Justice Datta.
Hours after the verdict, Deshmukh quit his post.
According to the Supreme Court website, petitions filed by Maharashtra and Deshmukh have been filed in the top court. However, no date on the hearing has been finalised so far. The status on the top court website shows pending for both petitions.
Earlier on Tuesday, newly-appointed Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, who took charge, had said: "The state government will challenge the Bombay HC order before the Supreme Court."
Besides Singh's PIL, the court heard three other pleas - one filed by Ghanshyam Upadhyay seeking a court-monitored SIT, another by Mohan Bhide wanting a retired HC or SC judge to probe and a third by Jayshri Patil for a CBI, or any other independent agency, probe.
In his plea, Singh had sought a thorough probe by the CBI into his allegations that Deshmukh had asked arrested Mumbai policeman Sachin Vaze "to collect Rs 100 crore per month" and also challenged his own transfer to Commandant General, Home Guards.
The state had strongly objected to the plea on grounds that Singh made the allegations only because he was shunted out of his post as Mumbai police chief.