NEW DELHI, Nov 4: Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Dharmesh Sharma today remanded the alleged Dawood frontman Romesh Sharma to three days of police custody in the Sanjay Sabharwal case.Earlier, he was in Crime Branch custody, but now the court has sent him in the custody of the Hauz Khas police station in the South District.
The court also directed the police to take Sharma for a medical checkup to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital before taking him into their remand. The South District police are expected to interrogate Sharma in connection with a case filed by Sanjay Sabharwal on October 22 at the police station.
Clad in a politician's dress, Sharma was on the verge of breaking down during the trial. He complained to his counsel about the lack of medical facilities provided to him by the police.``I will die like Rajan Pillai,'' was all he could talk about during his trial proceedings.
The Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmesh Sharma said in his order,``since the police remand is not opposed on any other ground andas vital facts are due to be considered, ascertained and discovered in the remand, the accused is remanded to police custody till November 6.''
Sharma's Counsel I U Khan earlier opposed the police remand and argued that the detention order passed under section 3 of NSA by the Commissioner of police states that Romesh Sharma would now be detained in the Tihar Jail at New Delhi. Khan said,``In lieu of the strict application of the NSA, the honourable court is not empowered to pass the judgement in favour of the police custody.''
The MM however passed the order saying that there is no specific provision in NSA 1980 ``debarring'' the court from considering and entertaining the application. He observed,``the order would not amount to the interference in the detention order but would give due importance to an equally important criminal matter.''
The MM also executed the General Power of Authority (GPA) asked by the defence counsel. The GPA allows Romesh Sharma to appoint former Mayor of Lucknow, Dr.M.A.Halim,as the working president of his party, All India Bhartiya Congress.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.