State challenges different charge sheet directive in HC

Mumbai, Sep 20 (UNI) The Maharashtra government has filed an application before Mumbai High Court challenging the special NDPS court directive to file three different charge sheets among the nine alleged accused persons including Provogue apparel Managing Director Salil Chaturvedi, booked on charges of possessing cocaine and conspiring to supply drugs.

Special public prosecutor Raja Thakre today informed special NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) judge B S Waselkar that the state had filed an application last week in this regard before the high court. The court had adjourned the case to October four.

Salil Chaturvedi in his application had sought that the court seperate him from the common charge sheet filed by the prosecution on September five last year against him and eight others under various sections of N D P S Act.

After hearing from both sides, Judge Waselkar on August three had ordered to file three seperate charge sheet in this case since there are three groups.

Accordingly Allywin Sequeira, Joe Sequeira, Sanjay Shinde, Shantilal Jadhav and Vishal Manghani will be in one group, second group consists of three foreign nationals - Sako Hashim, Lukanga and Udaije and third group is Salil Chaturvedi.

Chaturvedi, who was arrested on August two last year on charges of possessing three gram of cocaine powder and conspiring to supply drugs, have been granted bail on September six.

Police had seized three vials of cocaine at tge santacruz airport being smuggled in from Chennai and arrested Allywn Sequeira, who was the importer of the consignment. During investigation, Sequiera revealed that the original consignee of the vials was Vishal Meghnani, former employee of Provogue who was nabbed on July 26.

Barring the three foreign nationals, all six others obtained bail in this case.

UNI PVN MJ MIR VC2020