Hasan Ali's judicial custody extended till Wednesday

MUMBAI: A Mumbai sessions court Monday extended the judicial custody of alleged tax evader and money launderer Hasan Ali Khan till May 11.

"Mr. Khan's judicial custody has been extended till May 11 and his bail plea will be heard May 13," said his lawyer I.P. Bagaria.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act ( MCOCA) court will hear May 24 the state's reply in the case of a private petition filed by Ishwar Prasad Khandelwal against Khan.

"Khandelwal in his private petition has sought to slap the MCOCA Act on Mr Khan," Bagaria said.

Khandelwal, in his application has alleged that Khan and his associates were "suspected members of an organised criminal syndicate" and that they generated illegal wealth from money laundering and committed several cognisable offences.

"MCOCA Sessions Judge S T Mahajan has asked the state to file a reply in the matter by today (Monday), which has been adjourned to May 24," Bagaria said.

The Enforcement Directorate ( ED) had May 6 filed a chargesheet against Khan and his associate Kolkata-based businessman Kashinath Tapuriah in a Mumbai sessions court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Khan was taken into custody by ED March 17 after the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to him by a trial court.

The apex court March 21 had ordered his custody to the ED for an additional three days.

Among other things, Khan is suspected to have stashed away around $8 billion in Swiss bank accounts, transferring cash and assets out of the country through dubious means and evading taxes on income with a suspected liability of over Rs 40,000 crore.