Mumbai Beat

Dev exempted from court appearance

A metropolitan magistrate B A Shelar, on Tuesday, exempted actor-producer Dev Anand from appearing before him in alleged cheating and criminal breach of trust case filed by Denmark-based NRI Mangharam Harvani. Harvani, who owns Unico productions firm in Denmark, claimed that he and Dev Anand had agreed to jointly produce film Pyar Ka Tarana and entered into an agreement to share the profits or losses equally. However, Anand failed to pay the due amount. The case has been adjourned to May 5.

Verdict in Marathi

Sessions Judge V K Deshpande on Tuesday become the first Judge in history to give his verdict in Marathi language. Judge Deshpande, on Monday acquitted Abdul Razak Khan alias Ravi Malvankar, accused under the Narcotics and Psychotropical Substances Act. The prosecution had contended that Khan was arrested by the Postal Customs Department when he had claimed a mandrex tablets parcel weighing 18 kg. Judge Desphande is the first to have observed a statesuggestion to give judgements in Marathi.