THE ONE-MEMBER Chandiwal Commission, probing corruption allegations against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, on Tuesday asked state cabinet minister Nawab Malik to appear before it on Thursday. Malik had earlier made allegations about dismissed cop Sachin Waze and suspended IPS officer Param Bir Singh being the “masterminds” of the Antilia drug bust case and Mansukh Hiran murder case. The Commission sought Malik's presence in response to an application moved by Waze seeking action against Deshmukh whose comments about Waze and Singh “led to others such as Malik making such statements about him”. Waze further filed an application seeking the presence of Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Milind Bharambe before the Commission for evidence. Lawyers for the other parties sought time to file their say following which the matter was posted for Wednesday. Bharambe had been asked to conduct an enquiry on Waze after the latter's alleged role in the Antilia case came to the fore. The Commission also rejected an application filed by Waze seeking to cross-examine Deshmukh again. Deshmukh, through his lawyer Prashant Pawar, had earlier filed a reply in response to Waze's earlier application. In his reply, Deshmukh said that filing such applications was an attempt to delay proceedings. He further said that while Singh chose to not appear before the Commission to cross examine any witness, it seems he was now trying to bring such records at the instance of Waze which is “inadmissible in law”. He added that it “clearly shows” Singh and Waze are “in cahoots” and can be termed as working together like a “syndicate”.
