The Hindu : SC to hear Bharat Shah's bail plea on April 2

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Tuesday, Mar 05, 2002

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SC to hear Bharat Shah's bail plea on April 2

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI March. 4. The Supreme Court will hear on April 2 the bail application of film financier, Bharat Shah, accused of complicity with the Mumbai underworld and conspiring with Karachi-based mafia don, Chhota Shakeel, to murder prominent film personalities, including Shahruk Khan and Rakesh Roshan.

A Bench comprising Justice M.B. Shah and Justice R.P. Sethi adjourned the hearing after senior counsel, Kapil Sibal, submitted that the petitioner would also challenge the constitutional validity of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes (MCOC) Act.

The Bench expressed its displeasure over news items published in certain newspapers on the bail application of Mr. Bharat Shah and said they were ``highly inappropriate'' and said this amounted to an effort to ``prejudice the court''.

But, the Bench said ``we are not taking it seriously''.

Earlier Mr. Sibal said that the bail provisions of MCOC Act were more stringent than the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) and his client would challenge the same.

Mr. Bharat Shah was arrested on January 8, 2001 and after his bail plea was rejected by the Bombay High Court on August 17 last, he filed the present special leave petition for bail.

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