'Not guilty!'

The 17 accused in the Gulshan Kumar murder case, including Ramesh Taurani, chairman of Tips Music, on Thursday, pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them. Additional Sessions Judge M L Tahilyani recorded their plea.

On April 30, Javed Kaliya, Rafiq Ahmed Ansari, Rafiq Falake, Imtiyaz Merchant, Adil Mohammed Ali Khan, Shabir Ali, Abdul Kavi Idris, Mohammed Azim Kavi, Aftab Alam Irshad, Ramesh Taurani, Jaffar Sharif, Fayyaz Chougale, Firoz Sultan Khan, Wasim Abdul Khan, Abdul Rashid, Fatima Dawood Merchant and Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant were charged with the conspiracy to murder Gulshan Kumar under Sections 120-b and 302 respectively of the Indian Penal Code.

The alleged killers, Rauf Raja and Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, have also been charged with offences under Sections 307 (harming people while gunning down the victim), 397 (robbing a taxi used for the crime) and 34 (common intention) of the Arms Act, IPC.

Gulshan Kumar was shot dead on August 12, 1997, outside a temple in suburban Bombay.

PTI