The city civil and sessions court today reserved till May 24 orders on the anticipatory bail plea of the accused in the Rs 4.68 crore Abhyudaya Bank scam. The bail plea was moved by the bank's chairperson and independent MLA, Sitaram Ghandat and seven others.

Sessions judge S A Basu will also pass on the same day orders on an application moved by the prosecution, seeking presence of the accused during proceedings under provisions of the amendment to Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Opposing the anticipatory bail of the accused, public prosecutor D G Paranjpe contended the scam was of huge proportions which affected the common man, and the persons involved in the case were influential, therefore it could not be taken lightly.

Adhik Shirodkar, counsel for Ghandat and others, submitted that the prosecution was taking the courts for a ride by stating that the petitioners were not available for interrogation. ``On the contrary, Ghandat and others were never called for interrogation'', he claimed.

MPT stabbing: cops clueless

While no arrests have so far been made in Wednesday's sensational assault on a senior Mumbai Port Trust Officer and his family, police maintain that they are confident of nabbing the culprits soon.

Deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1), Ashok Dhamija, said: ``We have dispatched separate police teams to various parts of the state as we have managed to obtain some clues today on the stabbing incident. With a little more effort, and a bit of luck, we will soon be able to arrest the assailants.''

Port Officer, Captain David Patrao (56), and his 25-year-old daughter Naomi, were brutally stabbed at their Colaba residence in the officers colony, next to Sassoon Docks, when five unidentified men barged inside with the intention of burglary.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.