Mumbai: Pune stud farm owner Hasan Ali
Khan, accused of stashing away billions of dollars in foreign
banks, on Friday sought to give a new twist to the case alleging
that he was getting threats from his arrested associate
Kashinath Tapuria and industrialist RP Goenka.
Outside a local court after he was remanded in
judicial custody by till April 8, Khan told reporters, "I am
facing threat from Kashinath Tapuri and RP Goenka. Tapuria
has framed me in this case."
However, Khan`s claim was strongly rejected by Goenka,
who said he has had no no relations with Ali or Tapuria.
"He (Goenka) no no relations with Tapuria, not not to
speak of business relations with him. He has never known or
seen Hasan Ali Khan " a spokesman of the RPG group said
in Kolkata reacting to the allegation by Ali and his lawyer in
Mumbai.
Khan later filed an application in the court seeking
protection saying he has got threat to his life.
The court directed Superintendent of Arthur Road jail
to make necessary arrangements for protection and security to
Khan.
Tapuria, a Kolkata-based businessman and said to be an
associate of Ali, was arrested here yesterday by the
Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Clad in white kurta-pyjama, 53-year-old Khan was
appeared before Principal Sessions Judge Swapna Joshi who
remanded him in judicial custody after ED counsel Ujjwal Nikam
submitted that they did not need Khan`s custody at this
moment.
Nikam contended that the ED reserved the right to
press for his custody at a later date. This was opposed by
Khan`s lawyer IP Bagadia.
However, the court said the issue could be decided
later and as of now the accused was being remanded in judicial
custody for 14 days.
Khan was taken into custody by the ED on March 17
after the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to him by a
trial court. On March 21, the apex court had ordered his
custody to the ED for an additional three days.
The ED has questioned Khan, facing close to Rs 70,000
crore tax demand notice from the Income-Tax Department, with
regard to his past trips to various countries and his business
dealings within the country.
Tapuria was arrested in Mumbai on Thursday after three
days of questioning. He had earlier denied having any links
with Khan.
Tapuria was later produced before a Mumbai sessions
court which remanded him in ED custody till March 30.
A Mumbai court had on March 11 rejected the ED`s plea
for custodial interrogation of Khan on the ground that the
agency had not gathered sufficient evidence or made any case
to justify its plea for Khan`s custodial interrogation.
The apex court had on March 17, while directing Khan`s
custodial interrogation, criticised Mumbai Principal Sessions
Judge ML Tahaliyani`s order of granting bail to Khan, saying
it was "deeply disturbed" over the manner in which the trial
court judge had rejected the ED`s contention and given a
lengthy order for it.
The ED had told the apex court that it was in
possession of incriminating evidence against Khan showing that
he has stashed huge amount of black money in various banks
abroad.
It alleged Khan had withdrawn about 60,000 dollars from
a Swiss bank and cited communications from Swiss official
sources to back its allegation.
PTI
