Monica's conviction shocks Salem

Mumbai, Sep 29 (UNI) Mumbai serial bomb blasts accused Abu Salem today looked crestfallen on hearing the conviction of his girl friend Monica Bedi by a Hyderabad court in a passport forgery case.

When CBI prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam informed TADA court judge Pramod Kode the former Bollywood actor Monica Bedi was today sentenced to five years' jail term in the forgery case, a grim-faced Salem looked at the prosecutor but did not say any thing.

Clad in navy blue denims and a light green shirt, the clean-shaven Salem intently listened to what Mr Nikam told the court, and then quietly went to the seat meant for the accused.

A CBI court in Hyderabad today convicted Monica Bedi and three others in the passport forgery case, but acquitted two others.

Bedi was extradited from Portugal on November 11 2005, along with Abu Salem.

Earlier, the court turned down Salem's plea to let him face trial in Hyderabad first and other cases later, saying that the 1993 bomb blasts case would get the top priority. The TADA court, which has been pronouncing verdict in the blasts case since September 12, had separated Salem's trial from this case.

Salem, who has been in custody since his extradition from Portugal, is also wanted by the Delhi police in an extortion case and Delhi's Tees Hazari court had issued production warrant for him.

But since no body turned up in the court today to seek his remand on production warrant, Mr Kode adjourned the hearing to October 6.

Salem's judicial remand was today further extended by a fortnight.

Meanwhile, the court today granted permission to Salem's senior counsel Ashok Sarogi to interview him in the court premises. When Sarogi's junior Rashid Ansari sought the court permission for the legal interview with Salem at 1330 hrs, the judge asked if he meant the Indian time or Portugal time, adding whenever Sarogi had fixed such appointments in the past he had never turned up in time. But when Ansari assured of Sarogi's presence in time, the judge granted the permission.

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