SC notices MP, AP govts in Monica Bedi case

New Delhi, May 1: The Supreme Court today issued notices to the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh on a petition filed by alleged girlfriend of extradited gangster Abu Salem Monica Bedi challenging her trial in a fake passport case.

She contended in her petition that she had already faced trial for this offence and had also served three-year jail term in Portugal.

Monica Bedi, who is also seeking bail in the case, had contended that it is a case of double jeopardy for the same offence which is not permissible under the law.

The petitioner also pleaded before the bench comprising Mr Justice K G Balakrishnan and Mr Justice D K Jain that one cannot be punished twice for the same offence and hence the charge sheet filed by the CBI in Bhopal court for the offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy should be quashed and she should be discharged.

Monica Bedi came in contact with the gagester who is considered to be very close to Mafia don Dawood Ibrahim because she wanted to become a Bollywood star with the support of Abu Salem.

Abu Salem, who is also in a Mumbai jail for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast cases in which hundreds of people died, tried to promote the starlet but she failed to make it.

She is also facing another case of cheating in Hyderabad.

She was extradited along with Abu Salem from Portugal last year.

UNI