Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Abu Salem, a former aide of mobster Dawood Ibrahim, Wednesday got bail from a court here in an extortion case, but will not walk free as he is in a Maharashtra jail facing charges in other criminal cases.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit said: “He is granted bail. The accused should not intimidate witnesses, shall not leave the country and shall not cause delay in the case.”

The court directed Salem to furnish personal and surety bonds each of Rs.1 lakh.

Pleading for Salem’s bail, counsel M.S. Khan said: “As the accused was in custody during the enquiry and trial for the period of more than three years and he is charged for offence under section 384 IPC (Indian Penal Code) with maximum punishment for three years. He should be released on bail.”

The prosecutor referred to a Supreme Court judgment which stated that the accused can not be charged for offences other than mentioned in his extradition treaty.

Khan vehemently opposed the submission and said: “A bench of two justices decided the issue and both had different views. While one said that he could be charged for any offence, the other said that he should be charged only for lesser offences… so the judgment cannot be referred in this context.”

Salem was extradited from Portugal in 2005 to face trial in various cases including in the 1993 Mumbai blast case. He was made an accused along with Ramesh Sharma, a front man of Dawood, for hatching the conspiracy to commit extortion in the capital.

The case was registered at Hauz Khas police station in 1998.