Hearing on Salem's plea adjourned till June 16

MUMBAI: A special MCOCA court here on Thursday adjourned till June 16 a hearing on extradited gangster Abu Salem's plea challenging a chargesheet filed against him for alleged complicity in the murder of Ajit Dewani, former secretary to actor Manisha Koirala.
On April 15, police had filed a chargesheet against Salem charging him and his associate Shah Alam with Dewani's murder.The two were charged under the provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, IPC and Arms Act.
Salem's lawyers have challenged the filing of the chargesheet saying that the Indian government had assured a Portugal court they were seeking Salem's extradition only for the purpose of a trial.
They argued that further investigations had been conducted in this case after he was brought here, thus violating extradition conditions.
Dewani was murdered allegedly by Salem's hired assassins in June 2001 after he failed to pay an extortion amount.
In a confession which he later retracted, Salem said his men had gone to coerce Dewani into paying ransom, but shot him dead when the victim abused them.