Sunday, November 20 2005 12:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: One of the lawyers of extradited gangster Abu Salem yesterday (Nov 19,2005) 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.

The designated Judge P D Kode asked CBI to file a reply on November 22 on the application moved by Salem's lawyer O A Siddiqui.

The court also refused to allow the lawyer to withdraw from the case and asked him to wait till November 23 when Salem would be produced for remand.

Siddiqui alleged that CBI had informed Salem's another lawyer Ashok Saorgi that Salem would dance to the tune of the agency and he would say whatever they wanted him to say. He further alleged that CBI wanted them to withdraw and had even threatened to have the lawyers removed through Salem.

As of now, Salem is defended by lawyers Siddiqui and Sarogi.

On last occasion, the Judge had asked Salem whether he wanted to be defended by a lawyer to which the alleged gangster said he needed three to four days to decide.

However, Siddiqui, who was present in the court, rose to say that he had been instructed by Salem's lawyer who had appeared for him in a Portugal court, to defend Salem in Mumbai's TADA court.

He then sought court's permission to seek instructions from Salem and the court allowed his plea following which the accused said he would retain Siddiqui as his lawyer for the time being.