Salem: U-turn

Mumbai, March 7: Gangster Abu Salem today retracted parts of his confession to the CBI on his alleged role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts but legal sources said it is unlikely to weaken the case against actor Sanjay Dutt.

The extradited don’s lawyer Ashok Sarogi told the court hearing the blasts case that his client wanted to retract his statement as it was recorded under “pressure”.

In the statement before CBI deputy inspector-general .P. Chatwal last November, Salem had detailed how he had transported to Dutt’s residence arms and ammunition, which were allegedly used in the blasts that killed over 200 people.

The statement was opened before the designated Tada (anti-terror) court last week after the CBI filed a charge-sheet against the don in the blasts case.

Salem, however, has not withdrawn the section that says he delivered arms to Dutt’s residence.

“We are retracting the sections which say that two to three days after a van, in which Salem was present, was driven to Sanjay Dutt’s house, Salem collected a handbag containing two AK-56 rifles, some hand grenades and bullets,” Sarogi said.

“But we are admitting that Salem took the van to Dutt’s residence under the idea that it contained smuggled silver,” he added.

It implies that the arms stayed with Dutt and thus does not weaken the prosecution’s case against the actor, a legal source said.

Dutt’s lawyer Farhana Shah said she could make a comment only after being officially informed about the sections of Salem’s statement that were withdrawn.

The prosecution maintained the retraction would not affect the case against the don.

“It is a futile effort,” said public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. “It is belated retraction. The confession was recorded before the DIG of the CBI, .P. Chatwal, and Salem was produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate.

“On the several occasions he was presented before the Tada court, he did not make a single allegation against the investing officials.”

The statement, Nikam added, sheds light on Dutt’s alleged role in the blasts.

Nikam said the prosecution would decide on the course of action regarding Dutt on March 14, the next date of hearing.