TADA court orders probe into Abu Salem`s train wedding

Mumbai: A TADA court on Tuesday directed the Thane Police Commissioner to conduct an inquiry after a media report claimed gangster Abu Salem, an accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, had married on a train while being escorted by police to Lucknow for a court hearing.

"The designated TADA court has directed the Thane Police Commissioner to conduct an inquiry as to how an accused, who is in judicial custody, can marry on a train without the permission of the court," prosecutor Deepak Salvi told a news agency. Special Judge G A Sanap`s directive came after he took suo-motu cognizance of the report that appeared in a tabloid today. The Thane police chief has been asked to submit his report in 10 days. According to the report, Salem married a resident of Mumbra in adjoining Thane district last month on a train and that the `Nikah` was performed by a Qazi in Mumbai over phone. Salem`s nephew advocate Rashid Ansari and some policemen were witness to the marriage, it was claimed. However, Salem, while speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, dubbed the report as "baseless" and a "rumour". An accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Salem was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, after a prolonged legal battle.