Monica Bedi may have been separated from her husband Abu Salem the moment she landed in Mumbai, but she cannot hide her concern
for his well-being.
‘How is he?’
In an hour-long conversation with her team of three
lawyers yesterday, Bedi spent the first 10-minutes asking how Salem was doing in custody and appeared worried about his health, though doctors who checked him at St George’s hospital, said he was fit, yesterday.
“She has been scanning newspapers religiously for reports on Salem and for developments in the case, but she still wanted to hear about him from her lawyers,” said Shabana Shah, one of the lawyers who visited her in the Chenchalguda jail.
Cool, calm, collected
Shah added that after the lawyers told her of Salem’s well-being, she seemed to breathe easy. “She was very cool and calm after that. I guess she was mentally prepared to face the situation and reacted accordingly.”
The jail warden told her lawyers that they could leave perishable food items like biscuits, bread and mineral water with Monica, if she so desired. But she brushed away the offer saying she didn’t have any problems with the jail food.
Decision tomorrow
While Monica has been given judicial custody till November 25, the CBI wants custody for five days to question her about certain
documents she may still have with her.
“They want to keep her in custody for some documents and to extract information on the two absconding accused (Hameed, a local agent who helped them get the fake passports, and Abdul Sultan, who gave money for making the passports). But all her documents were taken at the time of deportation, how can they claim she still has some documents left,” says Shah.
The court has reserved its decision for November 17, as Monica’s lawyers have strongly opposed the CBI’s application saying the basis on which they were demanding it was not judicious.
Family support While Monica is fighting the battle alone till now, she will soon be getting emotional support from her family members, who will be arriving in Hyderabad in three days.