Search the Internet          Tips

Judicial custody for Shah, Rizvi till Feb 28

Film financier Bharat Shah, producer Naseem Rizvi and assistant Abdul Rahim Allah Baksh, facing charges of a nexus with the underworld, were on Wednesday remanded to judicial custody till February 28, by a special court in Bombay.

They were produced before designated judge A P Bhangale, who directed the Bombay police to file chargesheets against the three accused as early as possible.

Immediately after his appearance in the court, Shah was whisked away to the Enforcement Directorate office for interrogation.

The special court on Wednesday also called for a report from the superintendent of central prisons on allegations made by Abdul Rahim that he was threatened by an undertrial when he was brought to court in a police van.

Abdul Rahim's counsel, Rakesh Parikh, has filed a petition seeking his client's transfer from Central prison in Bombay to Thane jail.

Shah's lawyers Shiraz Rahimtoola and Vibhav Krishna said the remand application did not justify further custody of their client and sought a direction to the police to file the chargesheets so that Shah could apply for bail.

Public prosecutor Rohini Salian submitted that the police on Tuesday obtained a sample of gangster Chhota Shakeel's voice and it had been sent to the laboratories for testing.

She said the chargesheets would be filed within the stipulated 90 days.

The Bombay police claims to be in possession of recorded telephonic conversations between Rizvi and Shakeel.

According to the police, Abdul Rahim was Shakeel's man in Bollywood and acted as a conduit between the Karachi-based gangster and Rizvi.

PTI

Tell us what you think of this report