Ailing film financier Bharat Shah was on Monday exempted by a trial judge from the proceedings for the day even as prosecution urged for issuing non-bailable warrant against him for not appearing in the case of alleged nexus with the underworld. In a related development, shah filed an appeal in the Mumbai High Court against the trial court's order, which rejected his petition, on April 11, challenging police sanction to book him under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Prosecutor Rohini Salian informed designated judge A P Bhangale that Shah had availed of bail granted to him earlier but had failed to appear in the proceedings in keeping with the Supreme Court directive.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

She urged the court to take a strong view of his absence and pressed for non-bailable warrant against him. The court, however, exempted Shah for the day after his lawyer Vibhav Krishna informed that he was still in hospital although he had availed of bail.

The judge turned down shah's plea to adjourn the proceedings in this case until the high court decides his appeal against the trial court's order which rejected his petition to quash police sanction to book him under MCOCA.
The court gave shah time until April 19 to obtain a stay from the high court on the proceedings or else it would go ahead with the case.

Shah's lawyer Vibhav Krishna informed the court that the appeal would come up for hearing before the high court on April 22 and urged for adjournment of the case until April 24.
Bureau Report