Terming as serious former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's claim that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels, former IPS officer P K Jain on Saturday said an offence should be registered against the minister under the anti-corruption Act.
"To my mind, an offence under the anti-corruption Act should be registered right away. Deshmukh has no right to continue in his position because if Param Bir Singh can be removed from his position for carrying out a fair probe, then I think by the same analogy the minister has no business to continue in his position," Jain said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) under court supervision should probe this matter, Jain told PTI.
"Whether the charges are true or false is a different matter altogether," Jain said, adding police are always "under the thumb" of their political masters.
"Any officer who is liked by them is given plum postings. When I say plum posting they are all field postings, the 'desirable' postings. Any officer who does not listen to them, who does not tow their line, is always thrown on the sidelines," Jain said.
A 1981-batch IPS officer, Jain was the secretary of the Maharashtra State IPS Officers' Association and served as principal secretary (home), joint commissioner (admin) of Mumbai police, managing director of Maharashtra State Security Corporation, and also as ADG (special operations).
"I can vouch and say with authority that none of the politicians is interested in the police reforms. Nobody wants the police to be independent. Everybody wants the police to be under their thumb to carry out their wishes - in terms of arrests, in terms of enforcement, in terms of doing whatever they want to do, in terms of collections," Jain said.
He said Singh in his letter has given specific examples. "He is giving specific dates and persons who were present in such a meeting when the money was demanded. Singh is a serving officer. If he has leveled charges in writing, it is serious."
"And obviously he would be having some order or some material to back up his claims, which he will come out with at the right time. So, I think the situation has come down to a level where it is a slap on the face of Maharashtra government," Jain said.
He said Singh mentioned in the letter that he brought this issue (Rs 100 crore demand) to the notice of the chief minister. "He brought it to the notice of the deputy chief minister. He also brought it to the notice of the NCP supremo," Jain added.
"But yes, if extortion was being done on his behalf and on behalf of the minister and he was keeping quiet, I think he (Singh) is also a party. But I think this is all a matter of investigation," he said.
"In the meantime, we should not forget that the basic picture of the gelatin being planted outside Ambani's house and the probe into that was pointing to a different party and a different line altogether," Jain said.