A city court on Friday reserved its order on a plea of the city police to drop the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) against underworld don Abu Salem.

Salem is facing trial for making an extortion call to a Delhi businessman Ashok Gupta in 2002 demanding Rs 5 crore. Additional Session Judge Pinki will now pronounce the judgment on July 22. The police asked for the MCOCA charges to be dropped on the ground that it was against the extradition terms agreed between Indian and Portuguese authorities.

In February 2004, a Portugal court cleared Salem’s extradition to India to face trial in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case.

Portugal had stipulated, among other things, that Salem should not be tried for any offence other than those charged against him at the time of extradition.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted through its lawyer that for new charges are to be levelled against Salem, India will have to go over the extradition process afresh.