Vaze wants Jt. Commissioner of Police to depose before Commission

Sachin Vaze. File (Source: PTI)

Suspended police officer Sachin Vaze wants the Joint Commissioner of Police Milind Bharambe to depose before the K. U. Chandiwal Commission appointed to probe corruption allegations against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Mr. Vaze, currently lodged in the Taloja Central Jail, wrote a letter to the Chandiwal Commission on Friday stating: “It is a just and fit case for this court to exercise powers vested under the Commission of Inquiry Act and direct Mr Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner of Police to remain present before the Commission and render deposition.”

He urged the Commission to issue appropriate directions to Mr. Bharambe to remain present on a date convenient to the Commission for rendering deposition.

On December 13, Mr. Vaze was asked about the arrest of television news anchor Arnab Goswami before the Commission by Mr. Deshmukh’s lawyer. Mr. Vaze had said that he had been present at the time of Mr. Goswami’s arrest on request from the Raigad police to Mr.Bharambe on November 4, 2020. He had said he was leading the team from the Mumbai Crime Branch to assist the team from Raigad.

In April 2021, a report was prepared by Mr. Bharambe, in which he objected to Mr. Vaze joining the Crime Intelligence Unit after 17 years of suspension. The report was filed after the Home Department had asked the Commissioner of Mumbai Police on March 24 to file a report on Mr. Vaze, after he was arrested in the Mukesh Ambani Antilia explosive case and the death of Mansukh Hiren.

The report had mentioned, “Sachin Vaze has not followed the rules and directly and independently reported to Param Bir Singh [the Commissioner of Police). He was following the guidelines of the then Commissioner of Police about raids on illegal activities, whom to arrest or not.”