Mumbai: In a major development, Mumbai’s Esplanade Court on Wednesday allowed the police’s application to declare former police commissioner Param Bir Singh a proclaimed offender in an extortion case registered against him.
Special Public Prosecutor Shekhar Jagtap said that now the police can name him as a wanted accused and start the process of declaring him an absconder.
Jagtap also informed that if Singh does not come before the law within 30 days, the Mumbai Police will initiate the process of attaching his properties.
Read also | Taliban urges US to release frozen Afghan assets, fears mass exodus due to economic crisis
The development follows an application filed by the Mumbai Police seeking a declaration in respect of Singh, which has been ‘unreachable’ for several months.
Accepting the police’s plea, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SB Bhajpale passed the order against Singh.
Prior to the order, courts in Mumbai and Thane had issued non-bailable warrants against the former top Mumbai police officer, who is currently designated as the Director General of the Maharashtra Home Guard.
So far, three non-bailable warrants have been issued against Singh, whose present whereabouts are not known for the past several months.
Currently, there is speculation in the political circles in Maharashtra that the former Mumbai Police Commissioner may have fled the country.
Read ASLO | Delhi Air Pollution: WFH for Government Employees, Schools Closed – View Full Guidelines
In April, Singh created a sensation by firing a ‘letter-missile’ at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging corruption in the then Nationalist Congress Party’s Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra has registered cases of alleged extortion, cheating, forgery and set up a one-member inquiry commission to probe the allegations against Singh.
,