July 17 fixed for framing charges against Telgi

CHENNAI: A Special Court, trying CBI cases, on Thursday fixed July 17 for framing charges against Abdul Karim Telgi, the key accused and 10 others in the multi-crore stamp paper scam case.

Special Judge Velu communicated this through video conferencing to Telgi, Abdul Wahid and Jacob Chako, who are lodged in Pune prison.

When the case came up for hearing, suspended DIG of Tamil Nadu police, A P Mohamed Ali, the then Assitant Commissioner of the city police S Sankar, Telgi's associate Nizamuddin and two others, who are on bail, appeared before the judge.

Balaji and Sarfraz Nawaz, lodged in Bangalore prison, were produced before the judge by police, as also another accused Peter Kennedy, who is lodged in the Central prison here.

The judge asked Telgi and two others whether they had engaged a lawyer for themselves and informed them that the court would frame charges on July 17.

Telgi and two others replied that they had engaged a lawyer. The accused were charged under IPC sections for criminal conspiracy (120-B), forgery for the purpose of cheaing (468),  possession of Indian coin by a person who knows it to be altered (253) and forging government stamps (255). The police officer has been charged under section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruptin Act.

According to the prosecution, the accused conspired and produced fake stamps and sold them in the state, thereby causing the government loss of crores of rupees.