Abu Salem remanded to judicial custody till December 7

    Mumbai: A TADA court here today remanded underworld don Abu Salem to judicial custody till December 7 after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said they do not require him for further investigation. The CBI told the court that it is through with interrogating Salem, at least for now, in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast case.

     While granting judicial custody, designated TADA Judge PD Kode, in his order, directed the jail authorities and State of Maharashtra to ensure the safety of the accused. The TADA court ordered that Abu Salm might be kept in Central Prison at Arthur Road after taking due security precautions. bu Salem was in CBI custody after his arrest on November 11 in the Mumbai serial bomb blast case.

     Meanwhile, Mumbai Police has sought production warrant for Abu Salem in Pradeep Jain murder case. According to his confessional statement, Salem was involved in the 1993 serial blasts and also confessed that he had delivered arms at Dutt's residence in suburban Bandra. Salem, who was extradited along with his companion and actress Monica Bedi on November 11, was remanded to CBI custody till November 23.

    The CBI is understood to have obtained a confessional statement from Salem about his involvement in the 1993 serial blasts, and also admitted to delivering arms to actor and blast accused Sanjay Dutt. The investigating agency on Monday submitted a sealed envelope to the designated TADA Court, which is believed to contain Salem's confessional statement, sources said. The envelope is likely to be opened by TADA Court Judge P D Kode when Salem is produced before the court following the expiry of his CBI remand. According to the sources, Salem, in his statement, has confessed that he had delivered arms at Dutt's residence in suburban Bandra prior to the Mumbai blasts. The sources also pointed out that earlier four other blast accused, including Baba Mossa Chavan, in their confessional statement, had said that Salem had participated in the conspiracy and delivered arms and explosives to various suspects.

     In yet another development, one of the lawyers of Abu Salem sparked off a controversy by moving a special TADA court urging for withdrawal from the case on the ground that CBI had threatened to have him removed through Salem.

Monica bail petition moved in special CBI court

     Hyderabad: A bail petition on behalf of underworld don Abu Salem's girlfriend Monica Bedi was moved in a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here today. The judge C V Subrahmanyam posted the petition, moved by Bedi's counsel G Babu Rao, for hearing on November 28. The judge also permitted the advocate to meet Bedi, lodged in Chanchalguda central prison. The court disallowed an application of an advocate Ruchir Batra, who had arrived from Delhi, seeking permission of the court to meet Bedi. Batra said Bedi's Uncle Purushotham Lal Bedi, a native of Hoshiarpur in Punjab, who wanted to meet her in Chanchalguda jail here, hired him. Batra was disallowed as he did not submit a no objection certificate from the counsel, already representing the case on behalf of Bedi. Bedi was extradited from Portugal on November 11 along with Salem, touted to be a key associate of criminal syndicate leader Dawood Ibrahim, whom they say, planned and financed the bombings in Mumbai. She is in judicial custody till 25th November. The CBI had approached the court in Hyderabad for allowing it access to Bedi's signatures for the investigation in the forgery case.