In a relief to gutka baron Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal, the Supreme Court on Monday discharged the non-bailable warrant issued against him in connection with his alleged nexus with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim [Images].

A Bench comprising Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B N Srikrishna discharged the NBW issued by a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Court in Mumbai.

The bench said Dhariwal, owner of Manikchand Gutka, had cooperated with the Central Bureau of Investigation in its probe into his alleged links with the underworld.

The MCOCA court had issued the warrant to enable the CBI to question him.

The gutka baron's son, Prakash Rasiklal Dhariwal, had challenged a Bombay high court order refusing to stay the NBW issued while the Mumbai police was investigating the matter. Later, the investigation was handed over to the CBI.

Prakash Dhariwal had given an undertaking in the apex court on behalf of his father that Dhariwal Sr will appear before the CBI on April 4.

While being questioned by the CBI, Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal reportedly denied any links with the underworld.

Dhariwal and Goa [Images] gutka owner J M Joshi have been accused of smuggling gutka-manufacturing machines to Karachi through Dubai for Dawood's brother Anees Ibrahim and helping him set up a factory.

Earlier reports

Forensic tests on gutka barons in Gujarat