Mumbai: In a setback to actress Monica Bedi, former companion of gangster Abu Salem, the Bombay high court on Monday rejected her application seeking interim relief in the form of issuing a direction to passport authorities for renewing her passport. The court however, has admitted her application for hearing that is challenging a notification issued in 1993, which bars authorities from renewing passport of accused persons only once, and that too for only one year.
The division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai was hearing an application filed by Ms Bedi seeking a direction to the passport authorities to renew her passport.
Senior counsel Nitin Pradhan argued before the court that a Bhopal court had acquitted Ms Bedi from a fake passport case in 2007. However, the state government filed a revision application challenging her acquittal from the case in the Allahabad high court and this matter is still pending before the court.
Mr Pradhan told the court that during pendency of state’s appeal against her acquittal, Ms Bedi had applied for renewal of her passport which was renewed for a year.
Mr Pradhan said at that time, applicant had not taken any objection on renewal of passport only for a year because she was under the impression that her passport would be renewed in the future. But when her passport expired she again she applied for renewal, which the authorities turned down. They cited the reason behind this as a government notification issued in 1993, which says that in the matter of fake passport cases when appeal is pending in court the passport of an accused could be renewed for only one year.
As Ms Bedi was unable to get her passport renewed due to this notification, she challenged it in the high court.
The Bombay high court refused to direct authorities to renew her passport. “It would be a drastic order and final relief if we allow your (Bedi’s) application for renewal of passport. The notification is in place and hence we cannot direct authorities to renew your passport,” said the division bench headed by Justice Oka.
