What Does Param Bir Singh’s Letter Signify in the Ambani-SUV Case?

Singh filed a petition before the SC about his transfer, saying it was done in an “arbitrary and illegal” manner.

Singh on 22 March filed a petition before the Supreme Court about his transfer to the home guard department, saying it was done in an “arbitrary and illegal” manner.

(Photo: The Big Story)

In a new twist in the Ambani-SUV case, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, in an unsigned letter released on 20 March, accused Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of extortion, political overreach, and interference.

In this eight-page letter, written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Singh claimed that Deshmukh had directed suspended API Sachin Vaze to “collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars, restaurants, and other establishments”.

Deshmukh, on his part, refuted Singh’s allegation and has stated that Singh made the false allegations in a bid to protect himself from further legal action, in connection with the case.

And speaking of legal action, Singh on 22 March filed a petition before the Supreme Court about his transfer to the home guard department, saying it was done in a “arbitrary and illegal” manner and “without the completion of the minimum fixed tenure of two years”.

Singh’s letter has become a crucial development in the Ambani-SUV case as it raises several doubts on Sachin Vaze’s credibility as a cop and his connection to the suspicious death of Mansukh Hiren, whose car was allegedly used to plant the explosive substance. The political fallout from the letter has also become, according to the Shiv Sena, a “matter of prestige” for the party-led government.

So in today’s episode, we will go through the developments in the case, what Singh’s letter states, the political reactions from the Shiv Sena and the BJP on the same, and what does it all equate to for the Ambani-SUV case.