'No protection, no hearing until we know where you are': SC to Param Bir Singh

The Supreme Court on Thursday (November 18) asked former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to disclose his location and said that court will neither give him protection nor hear his case until it knows his whereabouts.

The apex court asked his lawyer to inform about Singh’s whereabouts and posted the matter for hearing on November 22.

A bench headed by Justice S.K. Kaul took exception that Singh’s plea seeking protection has been filed through power of attorney.

“You are seeking protective orders; nobody knows where you are. Suppose you are sitting abroad and taking legal recourse through power of attorney, then what happens. If that is so, then you will come to India if the court rules in your favour, we don’t know what you have in mind. No protection, no hearing until we know where you are,” said the bench also comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh.

The bench further said: “The petition has been filed through power of attorney. Where are you? Are you in this country or outside? …We will come to the remaining, first we know where are you?”

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A magistrate’s court in Bombay declared Singh a “proclaimed offender” on Wednesday, in an extortion case registered against him and some other police officers in the city.

Singh had last attended his office in May this year, after which he went on leave. The state police had told the Bombay High Court last month that his whereabouts were not known.

(With inputs from Agencies)