Arrested for taking bribe, Mumbai cop to be reinstated in force for 2nd time

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MUMBAI POLICE Inspector Anand Bhoir, whose reinstatement had been set aside by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last November, will be reinstated in the force for the second time in two years after the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) ruled in his favour on Monday.
Soon after Bhoir was arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) in 2019 for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 22 lakh, he had been dismissed from the force. He was reinstated by the government in 2021, only to be dismissed again after a few months, following which, Bhoir had approached MAT. The MAT observed that though no new evidence was found against Bhoir and he was also not given a chance to represent himself, his reinstatement was set aside by the government under Section 27 B of the Maharashtra Police Act.
“ ..True, under Section 27 B, the state government… has powers to review its order made earlier… but it is subjected to the rider of production of new material or evidence… which was not available at the time of passing the order under review, which has the effect of changing the nature of the case,” the MAT said.
It added, “…Secondly, the earlier order cannot be reviewed without giving reasonable opportunity of hearing and by making representation to the delinquent.”
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Regarding the order passed by the government setting aside his reinstatement, the MAT observed, “Insofar as reasoning for reversing the order is concerned, all that the government in its impugned order stated is that if the punishment imposed is set aside, it would send wrong signal in the society… This is very strange reasoning given by the government…”
Setting setting aside Bhoir’s reinstatement, the tribunal sought that he be reinstated in the force within two weeks.
On January 1, 2019, Bhoir who was with the Mumbai Police crime branch, was arrested for accepting Rs 22 lakh as bribe from Ashok Patel, a liquor shopowner in south Mumbai. Bhoir had raided a godown in Andheri and seized illegally imported liquor bottles worth Rs 16.3 lakh and arrested one person. He allegedly demanded Rs 25 lakh to not book Patel, who he alleged was part of the gang. As Patel approached the ACB, Bhoir was trapped accepting Rs 22 lakh. In September 2019, then Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Barve dismissed Bhoir after a departmental inquiry found him guilty. Later, Bhoir approached then minister of state Ranjit Patil under the BJP-Shiv Sena government. Patil stayed the order of dismissal and directed that Bhoir be reinstated. However, Barve objected and Bhoir’s reinstatement was kept on hold.
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