Teacher files PIL seeking probe against Deshmukh and Singh

Mumbai: A Mumbai-based teacher has approached Bombay High Court seeking an independent probe into the allegations of misconduct against state home minister Anil Deshmukh.

In his public interest litigation filed on Tuesday, petitioner Mohan Prabhakar Bhide sought that HC direct an inquiry into the allegations made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Bhide also sought a probe against Singh.

In his plea, Bhide said he had gone through the conversation between Deshmukh and Singh, and claimed it was certain one of them was guilty or was not telling the truth.

In his plea, Bhide urged HC to direct a retired judge of HC or the Supreme Court to head an inquiry against Deshmukh and Singh.

His plea is likely to be mentioned on Wednesday for urgent hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta.

The CJ’s bench is also scheduled to hear on Wednesday a PIL filed by Singh seeking a CBI probe against Deshmukh.

On Tuesday, another bench led by Justice SS Shinde heard a plea seeking similar reliefs filed by city-based lawyer Jaishri Patil.

The bench questioned Patil’s locus standi to file such a plea and said it believed that such pleas were often filed for “publicity”.

The bench led by Justice Shinde directed that all pleas connected to the above issue be tagged and heard together.