Mumbai, Nov. 22: The sealed envelope allegedly containing Abu Salem’s confession was opened in court today.

Justice P.D. Kode, of the Tada (anti-terror law) court hearing the Bombay blasts case, went through the papers and stuffed them back into the envelope. The matter is likely to be taken up tomorrow when Salem is produced before the court.

Salem’s lawyer .A. Siddiqui said his client ? the two spoke for a long time ? had been “perplexed” by reports of his purported confession. But he refused to disclose if the don had confirmed giving the statement.

Siddiqui pleaded with the court for a copy of the “confession” made to the CBI, saying he needed to check whether it was made without coercion or allurement of bail.

But public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam strongly objected, saying it would hamper investigations. “The confession has been recorded under Section 15 of the Tada Act. A copy of the confession should only be allowed to the accused after he is chargesheeted,” he said.

The judge has deferred the matter till tomorrow.

In London, Harjot Singh, the 27-year-old solicitor working on behalf of Salem, told The Telegraph he was not surprised his client had “confessed”.

Two days before the alleged confession, a member on the legal team had warned the don was being put under “pressure”, Harjot disclosed.

“On the 18th, one of our legal team, .A. Siddiqui, had told the court ? and I have full faith in the Indian judiciary ?that Abu Salem was being put under pressure. He has been subjected to a certain amount of duress.”

The CBI today came down strongly on Siddiqui’s plea to withdraw from the case on grounds that the agency was threatening to have him removed by Salem. It said the allegation was “made with some ulterior motive”.