Goyal-Dawood links: PIL hearing deferred to June 27

BY A CORRESPONDENT
June 24, 2006

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Dr. Furkan, a Delhi journalist, asking the Bombay High Court to investigate the
alleged links between Jet Airways owner Naresh Goyal and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has been deferred till
June 27. The hearing was deferred on Wednesday, as the petitioner required time to amend his plea.

Earlier, on Monday, notices had been issued to the Central Government, the Director General of Civil Aviation, the
Commissioner of Police in Mumbai and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who had been asked to file a
response within four weeks to the PIL.

Notices had been issued by Chief Justice Kshitij Vyas and Justice Abhay Oka after the PIL had alleged Goyal's links
with Ibrahim, and pointed out that the connection might pose a threat to the lives of the passengers on the airline. The
PIL had also asked for a CBI probe on the matter.

With the Jet-Sahara deal in jeopardy, and with former civil aviation minister Sharad Yadav writing to the Prime Minister
with a request to stall Jet's security clearance on several counts, including alleged contact with underworld dons
Chhota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim to settle financial issues, Goyal will be a worried man.