Mumbai: Mumbai High Court (HC) on February 24 deferred until March 3, its verdict on petitions filed by film financier Bharat Shah and two others, challenging the provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), under which they have been booked for forging links with the underworld.

With the mutual consent of defence and prosecution, the trial in the alleged Bollywood nexus with the underworld has also been deferred until then.

The trial had come to a halt, as the prosecution had declared that it would not examine any witnesses until the HC gave its ruling on legality of MCOCA.

Justice V B Palshikar and justice S A Bobade had reserved their order until February 24 on Constitutional validity of MCOCA. However, when the matter came up, the judges declared that they would give their verdict on March 3.

Shah, facing the charge of forging links with the underworld to target film personalities for financial gains, prayed that the legislature had no powers to enact MCOCA because it was ultravires to the Constitution.

He also urged that the Act be struck out or trial be stayed in a special court.

Shah's counsel V R Manohar and Vibhav Krishna argued that the state was not competent to enact such an Act, while government counsel Srihari Aney and Rohini Salian submitted that state had powers to frame the Law and MCOCA had already received President's assent.

The prosecution has already examined more than 60 witnesses and trial has reached its fag end.

PTI