Telgi withdraws discharge plea from Bombay HC
Telgi withdrew his plea challenging the special court's order.
Prime accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi on Thursday withdrew his petition from the Bombay High Court challenging the special court's order, which refused to discharge him in a 1995 case.
Telgi withdrew his petition as the trial against him and his two associates in the case commenced on Wednesday before the special CBI Judge UD Salvi in Mumbai, the kingpin's lawyers S Marwadi and Jaideep Thakker told Justice AM Khanwilkar of the High Court.
Telgi had challenged the application of section 255 of IPC, which states that the stamps were counterfeit.
Thakker said, "Telgi was not involved in counterfeiting the stamps. Besides, this is the only section which can be tried by the special court and the remaining offences can be tried by lower court."
Telgi and his two associates -- Ramratan Soni and Sanjay Gaikwad -- were arrested by the police for their alleged complicity in circulating counterfeit stamps in the market in 1995.
MRM Marg police station in south Mumbai had seized fake stamps and stamp papers from Telgi's associates and registered a case against the trio in 1995 and arrested them.
Initially, MRM Marg police probed the matter, which was finally taken over by CBI. Telgi is involved in 48 cases of circulating counterfeit stamps and stamp papers in different states.