HC refuses to stay delivery of final verdict in serial blasts case

Mumbai, Aug 16 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today refused to grant a stay on the delivery of the final verdict in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in which cine star Sanjay Dutt and 123 others stand accused.

The Court also refused to grant a stay on the intermediate orders passed by a TADA court regarding separation of trial and framing of charges against extradited gangster Abu Salem in other cases.

However, Salem today withdrew his application challenging the TADA court order to separate his trial from that of the other accused.

A division bench comprising justices J N Patel and R S Dalvi held that the High Court was not the right forum to approach in this matter as it concerned the final verdict of the TADA court and Salem could appeal to the Supreme Court to seek appropriate relief.

Adv Nitin Pradhan, arguing on behalf of Salem, contended that Salem had been extradited on condition of facing the ongoing trials.

Yet case after case have been filed against him since then. In fact, charges of his involvement in actress Manisha Koirala's personal secretary Ajit Diwani and businessman Pradeep Jain murder cases were to be framed by the court on Thursday.

Also, the separation of his trial was in violation of the extradition agreement between India and Portugal.

Salem withdrew the petition and shall appeal in the apex court seeking appropriate relief.

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