Kashinath Tapuriah seeks separate security cell, like Hasan Ali’s

Kashinath Tapuriah’s lawyer Abad Ponda requested the special court on Friday for a separate security cell for Tapuriah like the one arranged for Hasan Ali Khan. However, Ponda went on to tell the court, “I am not pressing for it.”

The court, while extending Tapuriah’s judicial custody till April 29, said that the request for a separate cell as well as home food shall be heard on April 20. The court shall also hear the jail authorities’ plea for not giving him home food on the same date.

The court also granted two days examination warrant to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED received permission to take Tapuriah from Arthur Road jail to the ED office in South Mumbai on April 18 and April 19, between 10am and 5.30pm.

According to ED sources, Bihar Congress leader Amlendu Pandey, who was questioned by the agency here on Thursday, is likely to be summoned again on Monday to be confronted along with Tapuriah.

The ED had earlier said that searches at Tapuriah’s residence had led to the recovery of a large number of documents, including alleged transfer instructions from the account of Khan to various other accounts, and a copy of correspondence with Swiss bank UBS.

According to the agency, Khan, in his statement, had claimed that he had applied for a second passport on the instructions of Tapuriah who also allegedly travelled abroad with Khan to facilitate the money laundering activities of the latter.