HYDERABAD: Monica Bedi, companion of underworld don Abu Salem, was handed over to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for interrogation by a court here for 48 hours on Thursday afternoon.

Ms. Bedi was shifted to the CBI office at Sultan Bazar from the Chanchalguda women's prison amidst a heavy police escort at around 3 p.m. The special court for CBI cases which is trying Ms. Bedi directed the premier investigating agency to produce her on Saturday.

The CBI executed a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against her for not appearing in court in a case related to possessing fake passport. She was brought here from Mumbai on Friday last and produced before Special Judge C.V. Subrahmanyam. She was immediately remanded in judicial custody and taken to prison.

The CBI sought custody of Ms. Bedi for five days to complete investigation but the judge gave permission for only two days. In his order, the judge asked investigators not to use any coercive methods of extracting information. He allowed Ms. Bedi the freedom of representing to him about any harassment or coercion during CBI custody when she was produced before him.

The judge dismissed two petitions filed by Ms. Bedi's lawyer G. Babu Rao opposing CBI custody and permitting the presence of her counsel during interrogation. He ruled that the provision of law (Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code) cited by him was not maintainable.

On the other hand, senior public prosecutor of the CBI T. Venkata Ramana referred to the judgment of Supreme Court in the Nandini Satpathy v/s D.N. Pani case which forbids involvement of advocates in the course of interrogation.

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