Serial bomb blasts case adjourned till May 9

Mumbai, May 8: A special court, which had recently granted bail to an accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case , today deferred hearing till tomorrow on a CBI plea for separating the trial of extradited gangster Abu Salem in the same case.

Tada court Judge P D Kode today adjourned the hearing on the plea of the Central Bureau of Investigation till tomorrow after defence sought time to file a rejoinder.

Besides Salem, Riaz Siddique is another accused arraigned in the case, while trial in respect of the remaining 123 accused, including film star Sanjay Dutt, had been completed over a year ago.

Abu Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November last year, was present in the court. The Judge granted permission to Salem to give legal interview to his lawyer in the court premises.

Earlier, on April 28, Mr Kode had granted bail to Ehatsham Hussain on a surety of Rs two lakh but directed him to attend the local police station daily. The Judge, in his order, also directed him not to hamper or tamper with investigation and evidence during the period of his liberty. The court also directed that the accused shall not commit any offence during the bail period and warned if he violated any term of the bail his liberty would be taken back.

Hussain, accused of participating in the blast conspiracy, remained on bail in the case from 1998 to 2001. But while on bail, he was picked up by the police crime branch in 2001 for investigation into his alleged complicity in the murder of a city businessman.

UNI