14 June,2026 08:27 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
The court directed that the accused be produced before it on June 17. FILE PIC
Delhi's Patiala House Court on Sunday granted three days' police custody remand of Shabir Choudhary alias Shabir Ali, who was arrested by the Special Cell in a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), news agency ANI reported.
The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Syed Zishan Ali Warsi, who was functioning as the link judge at the Patiala House Courts, while hearing an application filed by the Special Cell seeking seven days' police custody of the accused.
Appearing for the state, Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh submitted that Choudhary was one of the leaders of an organised crime syndicate and was facing charges under Sections 3 and 4 of MCOCA.
The prosecution argued that custodial interrogation of the accused was necessary to uncover the syndicate's modus operandi, identify other members, ascertain their hideouts, trace assets allegedly generated through organised crime, and confront him with co-accused persons.
It further informed the court that the accused's alleged involvement had surfaced through the confessional statements of co-accused Zoya Khan, Sameer Baba, and Mehfooz Ali alias Bobby Kabutar. The prosecution also submitted that all legal requirements relating to the arrest, communication of grounds of arrest and medical examination had been duly complied with.
Advocates Anurag Jain and MM Khan, appearing for the accused, opposed the remand plea. The defence argued that the FIR had been registered in December 2024 and approval under the MCOCA provisions was obtained subsequently.
It contended that despite the passage of considerable time, no coercive action had been taken against the accused, while the main chargesheet and two supplementary chargesheets had already been filed.
The defence further argued that the accused had neither been declared absconding nor shown as an accused in those proceedings, and that no useful purpose would be served by granting police custody.
After examining the case records, the court noted that the accused had been formally arrested on June 14 and produced before it within the stipulated period.
The court also recorded that the arrest memo reflected that information regarding the arrest had been communicated to the accused's wife.
The court observed that the grounds of arrest appeared relevant to the collection of evidence, establishing the participation of the accused and unearthing the alleged organised crime conspiracy.
"Looking to the gravity and seriousness of the offence as well as the nature of allegations, at this stage, it will not be proper to stall investigation," the court observed while allowing the remand application in part.
Accordingly, the court granted three days' police custody remand instead of the seven days sought by the investigating agency and directed that the accused be produced before the court on June 17.
(With ANI inputs)
