Salem, Dutt come face to face in Tada court

Indian film star Sanjay Dutt (C) leaves after attending a special court in Mumbai yesterday. For the first time Abu Salem, one of the most feared gangsters in the Indian underworld, and Sanjay Dutt were produced in the special court together along with 84 accused on bail.. PHOTO: AFP

CBI had filed chargesheets earlier showing Salem as absconding accused. Since Salem was extradited to India from Portugal, it was required to amend the charges to change his status from absconding accused to regular accused.

CBI informed the court it would file supplementary chargesheet against Salem within 30 days following which the charges would be read out to him.

CBI prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam also urged the court to conduct separate trial of Salem so that the trial of other accused should not suffer.

In keeping with the judicial directive, actor Sanjay Dutt and 84 other accused in blasts case also appeared before the court.

The court had summoned all the blast accused to appear for amending charges filed against Salem.

The court had ordered CBI to produce Salem for amending the charges showing him as an absconding accused in the chargesheet filed by CBI in 1993.