Court to give order on Salem's plea on June 9

The matter came up for orders before designated Judge PD Kode who declared that he would decide Salem's plea on June 9.

A TADA court will deliver on June 9 the order on a plea by extradited gangster Abu Salem to try him in the 1993 serial bomb blast case along with actor Sanjay Dutt and 122 co-accused.

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The matter came up for orders before designated Judge PD Kode who declared that he would decide Salem's plea on June 9.

Opposing the CBI stand to separate his trial from the main case of 123 co-accused in the 1993 bomb blast case, defence lawyers Niteen Pradhan and Farhana Shah said if Salem is not tried jointly with others, prejudice may be caused to him and the co-accused.

Seeking an early verdict on the bomb blast case, CBI had earlier urged the court to separate the trial of Salem from the main trial on the ground that the judgement had been delayed considerably.

The trial 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.

Salem countered the argument saying he would prefer to be tried jointly along with co-accused otherwise prejudice may be caused to him and others.