Sara-Sahara case: Salian seeks sanction for appeal in HC

Mumbai, July 23 (UNI) Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian today sent a letter to Maharashtra government, seeking sanction for appeal in twin shopping complexes Sara-Sahara case involving Iqbal Kaskar, younger brother of mafia fugutive Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, who was acquitted by the MCOCA Judge Mridula Bhatkar on June 13.

In the letter, Ms Salian cited 10 to 15 reasons based on which an appeal could be filed in the High Court.

Among the several reasons, she said Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Judge Bhatkar had not considered the confessional statement of the co-accused against Kaskar and others, except Tariq Praveen.

The judge also did not properly appreciate the conversation between Iqbal Kaskar and Tanwar.

Ms Salian, in the letter, said the conversation had Iqbal and Tanwar talking about an ice factory in Crawford Market. Even underworld fugitive Chhota Shakeel's name also sprung up in the conversation, which the MCOCA court had not appreciated in the judgement.

It means, according to Ms Salian, that organised crime syndicate was interested in the property. There is enough corroborative evidence against the acquitted persons, she alleged.

Following Ms Salian's suggestions, the Law and Judiciary department will now pass a resolution directing the public prosecutor of Bombay High Court to file an appeal in the court.

On June 13, MCOCA Judge Bhatkar had acquitted Iqbal Kaskar and five others due to lack of evidence against them. However, she had convicted three persons -- Abdul Sattar Teli, Abdul Rehman Sheikh and Tariq Praveen -- to seven years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and ordered the trio to pay a fine of Rs 10.5 lakh each.

The prosecution had contented that those acquitted and the convicts had illegally constructed twin shopping malls on the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) land in Crawford Market in 2000.

UNI