Abu Salem challenges TADA court order in HC

Mumbai, June 6: Abu Salem, the main accused in the Pradip Jain and Ajit Diwani murder cases and the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, challenged the TADA court order which allowed the conversion of his judicial custody to police custody in January in Bombay High Court today.

A division bench comprising Justices D G Deshpande and S A Bobde directed Advocate General Ravi Kadam and the police to file an affidavit in the matter within two weeks.

It maybe recalled that Salem had been sentenced to police custody on November 23 last year following which he was sent to judicial custody on January 3.

Salem alleged that the further conversion of his judicial custody to police custody from January 12 to 17 was illegal and unconstitutional. During this period, he was mentally harrassed and his confessional statement had been recorded.

However, when produced before the TADA magistrate, he retracted his confessional statement saying that he had given it under pressure.

Salem then approached the High Court challenging the TADA court order of January 11.

UNI