Charges framed against Salem in 1993 blasts case

Mumbai, Mar 18: A TADA court in Mumbai today (Mar 18, 2006) framed charges against extradited gangster Abu Salem and his associate Riaz Siddiqui, the accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case.

However, both of them pleaded not guilty to the charges read out to them.

The charges were framed by designated TADA Judge P D Kode, trying the serial blasts case that had rocked the metropolis on March 12, 1993.

The charges are under the various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the TADA Act, including criminal conspiracy.

Meanwhile, the court fixed March 21 as the next date of hearing on a CBI plea to club the trial of Salem and Siddiqui with that of the other blasts' accused.

The defence had earlier strongly opposed the CBI plea on the ground that clubbing of the trial of Salem and the others accused, who had already faced the trial, would make the order process tedious and lengthy.

The trial in the case had concluded last year.

While the court was reading the charges, both Salem and Siddiqui listened to them patiently. Later on, they stepped into the witness box and pleaded ''not guilty.''

UNI