Court provides advocate to 'drug-lord' Sharafat in MCOCA case

A Delhi court has provided alleged drug-lord Sharafat Sheikh a lawyer of his choice to defend him in a MCOCA case lodged for allegedly running a drug syndicate spread across north India and Mumbai.

A Delhi court has provided alleged drug-lord Sharafat Sheikh a lawyer of his choice to defend him in a MCOCA case lodged for allegedly running a drug syndicate spread across north India and Mumbai.

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Additional Sessions Judge Pinki accepted the plea of Sheikh, who alongwith his two wives and three others are facing charges in the case, to have a counsel of his choice Sanjeev Kumar.

Earlier, the court had framed charges against Sheikh and others under various provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA), the Arms Act and the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, which deal with possession of illegal firearms and supply and sale of drugs through an organised syndicate.

Meanwhile, the court deferred the hearing till March 26 on a plea by Zohra Sheikh, Sharafat's second wife, seeking desealing of family properties situated in Delhi and adjoining areas.

The sealed properties include two Nizammudin houses, a flat in Noida and a hotel in Uttam Nagar, Zohra's counsel R D Rana said.

Sheikh was arrested from Nizamuddin area here on July 7 2005 and a huge cache of smack alongwith an Italian pistol and five live cartridges were recovered.