Saturday, April 16 2005 19:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Prime accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the special court's order, which refused to discharge him in a 1995 case.

Telgi yesterday (Apr 15, 2005) challenged the court's decision to frame charges against him in the same case, through his lawyers Jaideep Thakker and S Marwadi.

Justice V M Kanade of the Bombay High Court has kept the matter for hearing on April 26.

Meanwhile, the special judge, U D Salvi, who was to go on with the trial, has adjourned it to April 27.

Thakker said that they have challenged the application of section 255 of IPC, which states that the stamps were counterfeit. He said: "Telgi was not involved in counterfeiting the stamps. Besides, this is the only section triable by special court and the remaining offences are triable by lower court."

Telgi and his two associates, Ramratan Soni and Sanjay Gaikwad, were arrested by the police for their alleged complicity in circulating counterfeit stamps in the market in 1995.

M R M Marg police station in south Mumbai had seized fake stamps and stamp papers from Telgi's associates and registered a case against the trio in 1995 and arrested them.

Initially, M R A Marg police probed the matter, which was later transferred to DCB, CID. Finally, CBI took over the case.

Telgi is involved in 48 cases of circulating counterfeit stamps and stamp papers in different States.