A businessman who previously filed an extortion complaint against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh is now petitioning the Bombay High Court to quash the case.
The complainant, Ketan Tanna, claims he was coerced into lodging the complaint against Singh and has expressed a desire to “clear his conscience” after realizing the “herculean error” he made.
Tanna submitted his petition earlier this week, and it is scheduled to be heard on October 8. In his plea, he alleges that during the time Singh was embroiled in controversy with the Maharashtra government—led by the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance (a conspiracy was orchestrated against the senior IPS officer).
According to Tanna, he was summoned outside the residence of then-State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, where he was informed by Sanjay Pandey, the then Director General of Police (DGP), that he needed to file an extortion complaint against Singh.
In July 2021, Tanna had reported to Thane police that between January 2018 and February 2019, while Singh was the Thane Police Commissioner, he extorted ₹1.25 crore from him by threatening to implicate him in serious criminal cases.
In his current plea, Tanna emphasizes that he felt “under pressure” to lodge the complaint and was unable to disclose the truth at the time. He now seeks to rectify this by having the case dismissed.
The petition states, “The petitioner has looked back and realized the futility of indulging in incorrect acts to save oneself. The petitioner has realized that the truth has to prevail.” Tanna’s plea calls for the court to rectify what he describes as a significant mistake and to quash the case.
He asserts that he was led to believe that if he lodged the complaint against Singh, he would avoid being implicated in false cases. “The petitioner has decided to unconditionally withdraw the allegations and the FIR and prosecution against all the accused,” his petition states.
In addition to Singh, the FIR named 28 others, including Pradeep Sharma, senior police officials, and alleged gangster Ravi Pujari. Singh was removed from his position as Mumbai police chief in February 2021 after an explosive-laden SUV was discovered near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, leading to the arrest of police officer Sachin Waze.
Following these events, Singh accused Deshmukh of instructing Waze to extort ₹100 crore monthly from hotels and bars in Mumbai, a charge Deshmukh has vehemently denied.
Tanna’s request to quash the extortion complaint adds another layer of complexity to an already intricate legal and political situation involving key figures in Maharashtra’s law enforcement.
