Friday, March 31 2006 19:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: CBI today (Mar 31, 2006) requested a TADA court to separate the trial of extradited gangster Abu Salem from the main trial of about 120 accused, including film actor Sanjay Dutt, in the 1993 serial bomb blast case.

The trial in this case had commenced in 1995 and the judgement was yet to be delivered, CBI submitted in a petition seeking separation of Salem's trial from that of other accused.

Considerable delay had already taken place and the prosecution was not in favour of delaying the trial any further, CBI prosecutors Ujjwal Nikam and Natrajan argued.

Defence lawyer Niteen Pradhan sought time to make submissions and the court adjourned the matter to April 4 for further arguments.

The court had framed charges against Salem on March 18 under the provisions of TADA (P) Act, Explosives Substances Act, 1908, Explosives Act, 1884, IPC and Arms Act. However, Salem pleaded not guilty.

Salem was extradited from Portugal

Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November last year, has been charged with collecting arms and ammunition from Baruch in Gujarat and distributing them to co-accused, including Sanjay Dutt, in the second week of January 1993 before the Mumbai serial blasts.

According to the charges, Salem had delivered arms to co-accused in pursuance to a conspiracy hatched by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees to carry out blasts in Mumbai. The serial blasts that rocked the city killed 256 people and injured 713 on March 12, 1993.

According to CBI, Salem had gone to Baruch in Gujarat in second week of January 1993 along with absconding accused Aziz Bilakhia in a car to collect arms and transport them to Mumbai.

It alleged that Salem collected nine AK-56 rifles, 100 hand granades, cartridges and magazines from Sansrod village near Baruch and transported them to Mumbai via Bhiwandi and Thane concealed in cavities of the car given by accused Riaz Siddiqui.

Salem is charged with delivering arms and ammunition to Sanjay Dutt at his residence in January 1993 in the presence of co-accused Baba Chavan and Samir Hingora.

CBI alleged that Salem and co-accused Manzoor Ahmed and Hanif Kadawala took back some weapons from Sanjay's house and kept them at the residence of Zaibunnisa Kazi at the instance of absconding accused Aziz and Anees Ibrahim.

CBI had filed supplementary chargesheet against Salem early this month. Salem was arrested on November 11 last year after he was deported from Portugal.

He confessed to his involvement in the 1993 blasts on November 18 and 19 but had retracted his version later saying he was not aware whether the consignment delivered to Sanjay contained arms. CBI said that retraction was an after thought as it was done belatedly.