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Shah, Rizvi remanded to judicial
custody till Feb 14: PTI

Film financier Bharat Shah, facing allegations of links with Karachi-based gangster Chhota Shakeel, was Thursday remanded to judicial custody till February 14 even as the special court adjourned his bail plea until Friday.

In a related development, Naseem Rizvi, producer of film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke , was also remanded to judicial custody until then by designated judge A P Bhangale.

Shah's lawyer Shiraz Rahimtoola urged for time until Friday to plead for his client's bail because senior counsel V R Manohar was arguing a similar matter concerning dismissed judge J W Singh in the Bombay High Court.

This is for the first time that Shah has been remanded to judicial custody. Since his arrest on January 8, he has been in police custody. Rizvi, who was on last occasion, given police custody, was Thursday remanded to judicial custody.

Special public prosecutor Rohini Salian submitted that on last occasion Rizvi was remanded to police custody because he had to be confronted with Shah. Now that this job had been done, police were seeking judicial custody of the duo.

She also told the court that voices of both the accused had been sent to experts to confirm whether they matched with the ones recorded by police in telephonic conversations with Shakeel. Police were awaiting the reports, she said.

The court also allowed the Enforcement Directorate to seek Rizvi's custody for four days from February 5 to grill him in regard to his alleged hawala deals.

Rizvi's lawyer Sayaji Nangre opposed the ED's prayer saying that his client could be questioned in jail itself and that there was no need to take Rizvi to the ED headquarters.

The ED, however, suggested that the alleged hawala deals were cumbersome and hence it would not be possible for officials to grill Rizvi in the prison.

Rizvi has retracted his statement recorded by the ED saying that it was taken under 'duress'.

The ED's counsel Arun Gupte has pleaded that his statement was voluntary and that Rizvi was telling lies because he had not retracted his statement on January 17 and 18 when he was produced before the court after interrogations.

Police claim to possess recorded telephonic conversations between Shakeel and Shah which allegedly reveal the Bollywood-underworld nexus.

Shah's lawyers have focussed on the bail being sought by dismissed judge J W Singh, who faces allegation of talking to Shakeel for 'hiring' goons to recover his chit fund money amounting to Rs 4 million in lieu of a judicial favour.

Shah and Singh have urged in the bail plea that police had not obtained proper sanction from competent authority under Indian Telegraph Act to intercept telephonic talks.

The Complete Coverage: The Bharat Shah Case

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