The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi court issues notice to Mumbai jail Superintendent

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Tuesday, Apr 08, 2008
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Delhi court issues notice to Mumbai jail Superintendent

Staff Reporter

For not producing Abu Salem in Delhi despite production warrants issued against him

NEW DELHI: A court here on Monday issued notice to the Superintendent of Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai for not producing alleged gangster Abu Salem despite production warrants being issued against him several times.

Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur issued the notice when the Arthur Road Jail authorities failed to produce Salem yet again. The Judge asked the Superintendent to reply to the notice on May 29.

Decision on charges

Earlier, arguing before the court on the matter, the Maharashtra Government counsel told the court that the State Government had barred the authorities concerned from taking Salem out of the State for hearing in cases registered under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The court also posted for May 29 a decision on whether or not MCOCA charges against Salem should be dropped. The decision will be taken after the Delhi High Court passes its order on another similar petition by Salem. The High Court is likely to pronounce the order on May 28.

Salem’s petition before the High Court argued that the MCOCA cases had been slapped against him in contravention of the extradition treaty which India had with Portugal following which he was extradited to India in 2005.

He had said in his petition that he would prefer being sent to Portugal if the authorities continued with the MCOCA charges against him.

The Delhi Government had told the trial court in March that it wanted the MCOCA charges revoked against Salem as the Portuguese authorities had objected to it because charges under MCOCA were not mentioned in the extradition treaty.

However, the court had then asked the Government counsel to file a detailed report on why MCOCA should be revoked against Salem and also the details of the extradition treaty.

Salem, who was wanted in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case besides others, has been booked in three cases of extortion in the Capital. He has been booked under MCOCA (and also under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code) in the case pertaining to an attempted extortion of Rs.5 crore from a South Delhi-based businessman, Ashok Gupta.

Explanation sought

Last Friday, another Delhi court had asked the Mumbai police to explain why another alleged gangster, Brijesh Singh, who apparently had links with Dawood Ibrahim, was not being produced before it despite several production warrants being issued against him.

Brijesh Singh was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police at Bhubaneshwar in Orissa in January this year.

He was on the run from the police for several years.

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