The unceremonious transfer of Rakesh Maria from the post of Mumbai’s Commissioner of Police raises a set of serious questions. It came at a time when the 1981-batch IPS officer was steering the investigation in the Sheena Bora murder case towards crucial financial dealings possibly linked to the crime. The investigators had put together a team of chartered accountants and Economic Offences Wing officers to probe a complex web of shell companies, and requested the Enforcement Directorate to follow the money trail. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis signing the transfer order just before leaving for Japan reinforced the impression that the government did not want Mr. Maria to proceed with the probe. Though the Home Secretary explained that the transfer was deliberated over two to three weeks and had nothing to do with the fact that a high-profile figure was caught plotting the murder of her own daughter, the timing was clearly wrong. Mr. Maria was due for a cadre promotion on September 30 following the retirement of two senior officers. That promotion was advanced by 22 days, while he was effectively shunted out from the murder investigation. Moreover, appointing Ahmed Javed, who is one batch senior to Mr. Maria, to the post of Commissioner of Police, and then asking Mr. Maria to continue “monitoring” the Sheena Bora case as Director-General (Home Guards), has created a situation where two DG-level officers, who have not been in the best of terms with each other, have been put in charge of a high-profile case. Though Mr. Maria has indicated that he wouldn’t resign, his “punishment posting” amounts to dissuading him from pursuing the case in the right spirit.
Such ad hoc measures point to the malaise of the political class seeking to exert control over police officers and playing a game of favourites. Given the power and prestige that go with it, the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner is a coveted one. There have been legal battles over it. A cumulative effect is that the Maharashtra Police are now top-heavy: there are seven posts of Directors-General, of which four, including that of DG (Home Guards), are insignificant, non-operational postings. In order to end ad hocism, eliminate lobbying for posts and make top-level appointments the outcome of collective decisions, a Police Establishment Board was set up. However, Mr. Maria’s transfer was not referred to the PEB, and the government used its discretionary powers. Only time will tell what impact this reshuffle may have on the investigation into the Sheena Bora case. But the message the transfer has for Dinesh Kadam, the investigating officer at Mumbai’s Khar police station where the case is registered, is far from encouraging.