Telgi makes plea bargain

Abdul Karim Telgi, the prime accused in the multi-crore stamp paper scam, on Friday made "plea bargain" with the special judge, trying CBI cases, even as the court framed additional charges against him and 10 other accused in the case.

When the case came up for hearing for framing of additional charges, Special Judge Velu, in a videoconferencing, asked Telgi and two others lodged in Yerwada prison in Pune, whether they pleaded guilty or not.

Instead of pleading guilty or not, Telgi, demanded that the judge first reveal the quantum of sentence, so that he would decide whether to plead guilty or not.

A visibly annoyed Judge Velu told the accused that he should first plead guilty and then the ''plea of bargain'' would be considered.

As Telgi and two other accused, Jacob Chacko and Abdul Wahib stuck to their stand, the Judge adjourned the proceedings till the afternoon.

When the proceedings resumed at 1645 hrs, the accused sought time to plead guilty or not, following which, the judge posted the case to December 6, for further hearing.

Meanwhile, another accused Peter Kennedy, who appeared before the court in person, also sought time to plead guilty or not, saying that he was falsely implicated in the case and wanted to consult his parents.

Besides Telgi and two others, another accused Balaji, who is imprisoned in Bangalore central prison, also appeared before the court through video conferencing.

The accused, however, pleaded guilty and expressed the desire to appear in the court personally, following which, the Judge asked him to file a petition.