Firing attempt on Mahesh Bhatt: Radiowala won’t face action under MCOCA

MCOCA was put in place to deal with organised crime syndicates in the state. While the Mumbai Police had invoked the Act against the accused, all 10 of them were convicted for conspiracy and other charges under the IPC but not MCOCA.

On Wednesday, when Radiowala was first produced before the special court, he was directed to be taken to the magistrate’s court. Following this, the magistrate’s court sought the order of the special court and sent Radiowala to the police custody for a day. On Thursday, Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat again approached the magistrate’s court stating that MCOCA will apply on Radiowala, as he was an absconding accused at the time of the trial. The court again sent Radiowala for a day-long custody and directed that he be produced before the special court.

Radiowala’s advocate Nazneen Khatri argued that the Act was dropped against all the accused, including those absconding, based on the evidence submitted before the court during the trial. The special court accepted the contention and Radiowala was again taken before the magistrate’s court on Friday, which sent him to police custody till April 11.

Radiowala was apprehended in the US and was in the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement since September 2017 for illegal stay in the country. He faces trial for the 2014 conspiracy of firing at Bhatt and another case of conspiracy to fire at filmmaker Karim Morani.