New Delhi: The Bombay high court has deferred the hearing in the petition filed by suspended Regional Transport Officer Gajendra Patil, who had levelled charges of corruption and misconduct against Maharashtra minister Anil Parab and several other high-ranking officials in the transport department earlier this year.A bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and N.J. Jamadar said on Wednesday, September 16, that it will hear the plea on October 8. The court observed that courtrooms “should not be used for political battles.”Patil’s advocate Ranjeet Sangle said that the former inspector was a whistleblower and was suspended for speaking out, after attempting to bring to the notice of a superior officer the extent of corruption in RTO departments when it came to transfers and postings, Bar and Bench has reported.The news portal has reported that Patil noted that Nashik Police had begun a preliminary enquiry into the complaint after he had moved high court but that he was subsequently informed by the police that the jurisdiction to investigate does not lie with them and his complaint was sent to the Director General of Police, Maharashtra.Anil Parab. Photo: TwitterIn his petition filed earlier this month through his counsel V.P. Rane, Patil had urged the high court to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other independent agency to conduct an inquiry against Parab, the state transport minister, and other officers on allegations of bribery, corruption in matters of transfers and postings in the state transport department, and official misconduct, among other things.He has named the Maharashtra government, Parab and several officials of the transport department as respondent parties in his plea. Parab is a senior Shiv Sena leader.In May this year, Patil had made these allegations against Parab, state transport commissioner Avinash Dhakne, and five other senior department officials.Patil was subsequently suspended from the RTO by the state authorities.The Enforcement Directorate recently summoned Anil Parab for questioning in the money laundering case registered against former state minister Anil Deshmukh and others.A few days ago, Parab had been visible on camera, directing police over phone to arrest Union minister Narayan Rane.(With PTI inputs)