Did Waze-Param Bir speak for 30 minutes? Mumbai police orders probe

The Mumbai police on Monday recorded the statements of four personnel who had escorted dismissed API Sachin Waze to a hearing before the Justice Chandiwal Commission after he and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh managed to speak to each other.

Officials said the statements of the three constables and one officer were recorded by the Colaba police after an inquiry was ordered into the alleged Waze-Singh meeting.

Mumbai police also asked its counterparts in Navi Mumbai to investigate how the two managed to speak to each other and that too for so long.

Sources said Singh and Waze were in an adjoining room, speaking to each other for more than 30 minutes, and an objection to this was raised with the Justice Chandiwal Commission by the lawyer of former state home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh.

After Deshmukh's lawyer objected to the commission over Singh and Waze sitting together in another room in the commission's premises, Justice Chandiwal (retired) initially said "how can it be stopped?"

He later told Waze that "it's better to sit in this room" (where the commission's proceeding was taking place) to avoid such a situation.

The one-member commission has been set up by the state government to probe into allegations of corruption leveled against Deshmukh by Singh after the latter was removed as Mumbai police commissioner.

Waze has been appearing before the commission for his cross-examination in connection with the case.

"Singh and the witness (Waze) are sitting together for the last one hour. He (Singh) might influence the witness," Deshmukh's lawyer had said earlier in the day.

Both Waze and Singh are also co-accused in an extortion case filed in Goregaon, the former also in jail in connection with the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case.