The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Remand extended for Ali

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Remand extended for Ali

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 27. A city court today extended till September 10 the remand to judicial custody of the suspended Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), A.P. Mohamed Ali, and two others arrested in the "multi-crore fake stamp paper case".

Mr. Ali; the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chennai, S. Sankar; and Life Insurance Corporation officer, R. Sadhu, were produced before the additional chief metropolitan magistrate, Egmore, D. Arulraj, around 11.30 a.m., who extended their remand.

Counsel's objection

Earlier, objecting to the remand, Mr. Ali's counsel, A.K.S. Thahir, said all the offences alleged were punishable below 10 years imprisonment, except one under Indian Penal Code 467 (forgery of valuable security) which was punishable with life imprisonment or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years and also liable to fine. That meant that imprisonment could be a clear period of 10 years or less. Hence, it could not be said the minimum sentence would be 10 years or more.

He cited Supreme Court rulings and said the maximum period of remand in the case could be only 60 days.

Hence, the remand could not be extended beyond September 1. Extension beyond that period would go against the Constitution. Counsel said the accused did not know what documents were despatched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and retained by the court.

He said the CBI had registered a second first information report for the same case (earlier investigated by the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department).

`Case only reregistered'

Refuting the arguments, the CBI public prosecutor, S. Radha, said that besides the other provisions of the IPC, the offence of counterfeiting government stamps was also involved in the case and under the law, life imprisonment could be awarded. The central agency only reregistered a case earlier registered by the CB CID in 2002. The CBI took over the case on the Supreme Court's directions. The CBI interrogated Telgi, said to be the key behind the racket, in Bangalore, and he divulged some information regarding the involvement of CB CID officials (in the racket). Twenty-one witnesses had been examined so far from the last remand date. Senior CB CID officials who were examined stated about the involvement of the accused in the offence.

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