Manjit Singh Sethi, President of the Bar Owners Association of Mumbai, facing trial in a kidnapping case, on Friday sought tranfer of the case from a sessions court in Mumbai to any other court.

Sethi is the main accused in a 1997 kidnapping and robbery case. The complainant Kuldip Singh Chandok had alleged that Sethi, alongwith his son and 3 others kidnapped him and robbed him of Rs 50,000 before releasing a few hours later.

They wanted Rs 13 cr: Bar owner

The trial of the case is at present going on in the court of additional sessions judge J S Kalyanpur.

Sethi on Friday filed a petition seeking tranfer of the case to another court, fearing he "may not get justice".

He had taken exception, among other things, to the judge's rulings on adjournment he had sought on three occasions.

Sethi had first sought adjournment for allowing senior defence lawyer Majid Memon to file petition, in which he mentions that "judge in sarcastic tone told the complainant that the accused wants time to get big lawyer."

On a later occasion, defence lawyer Memon had sought time for preparation before starting with complainant's cross examination.

Adjournment was granted by the judge, but Memon was asked to pay complainant Rs 1,500 as costs.

Last week, Memon had to seek adjournment again as he was admitted to a hospital because of cardiac trouble. Sethi has
taken exception to court's order to the defence side to pay Rs 3,000 again as costs.

The case was earlier committed to the court of ASJ S P Davre from where it was tranferred to ASJ Kalyanpur.

Sethi has also hit out at Maharashtra's Home department for "publicising the case for political reasons" and claimed
he was facing persecution by the state at the behest of the department.

Sethi is in the forefront of agitation against the ban of dance bars in the state.

The judge had placed on record complainant Chandok's apprehension of threat to his life from Sethi.

Sethi in the present petition has objected to this too, stating this record would prejudice his case.