From rxpgnews.com
Apex court to hear Monica Bedi's bail plea May 17
By IANS,
Apr 20, 2007 - 9:04:46 PM
New Delhi, April 20 - The Supreme Court Friday fixed May 17 to hear the bail plea of extradited gangster Abu Salem's girlfriend and Bollywood starlet Monica Bedi, facing trial in Bhopal for possession of fake passports.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, deferred hearing on her bail plea while asking the Madhya Pradesh government for a status report on the progress of the trial against her.
The bench, which also comprised Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan and Justice R.V. Raveendran, passed this order on Bedi's special leave petition, challenging her indictment in the chargesheet in an offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy. She has also challenged rejection of bail to her.
Senior counsel K.T.S. Tulsi appearing for her contended that Bedi had been in prison for nearly 18 months.
Even if the trial ended in conviction the maximum punishment for forged passport was only two years, he said, while pleading to grant her bail.
The bench, however, said, 'Let us watch how the trial progresses. If it is not possible to complete the trial, then we will take up the bail petition.' The bench posted the case for hearing on May 17.
The CBI, in its chargesheet against Bedi, has said that she was arrested in Portugal for travelling on an Indian passport, issued at Hyderabad on the basis of forged documents and false information.
A case was registered in Bhopal against her for similar offence.
It said that Bedi came into contact with Abu Salem, a close aide to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, because she wanted to become a Bollywood star with the support from the gangster, now in a Mumbai jail for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast cases.
Bedi was extradited along with Abu Salem from Portugal in November 2005.
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