Monday, April 4 2005 12:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The discharge plea of prime accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi and one of his associates were today (Apr 4, 2005) rejected by a special CBI court in Mumbai.

There was "sufficient material" to frame charges against Telgi and co accused Sanjay Gaekwad in connection with the fake stamps seizure of 1995 and hence the plea stands rejected, the court said.

The duo was granted 15 days time to challenge the order in the High Court.

Telgi's lawyers had claimed that he was not involved in selling fake stamps.

"The reports of the Indian Security Press that verified the seized stamp papers stated that stamps were genuine. Even reports of Forensic Laboratory at Mumbai had confirmed that they were genuine," they claimed.

The police, state CID, SIT and CBI, that have been carrying out the investigation in the fake stamp paper cases, have not made any recovery from Telgi, they claimed.

Telgi's lawyer Jaideep Oak said the framing of charges by the CBI against the former would now begin at the special court.