Date:08/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/08/stories/2006090817350100.htm

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Bina Ramani remanded to four-day police custody

Staff Reporter

She allegedly used forged documents

Would help trace other persons involved in the forgery: Police

Lawyer permitted to be present during police interrogation

Bina Ramani at the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: R.V. Moorthy

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday remanded socialite Bina Ramani to four days' police custody in a case in which she allegedly made use of forged documents to claim that she was the owner of "Once Upon A Time", a restaurant-cum-bar also known as "Tamarind Court" in South Delhi, and that she had a licence to serve liquor there.

It was at Tamarind Court that ramp model Jessica Lall was shot dead in the early hours of April 30, 1999, when she allegedly refused to server liquor to Siddharth Vashishtha alias Manu Sharma as the bar had closed for the day.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Kamini Lau in her order on Thursday said Bina Ramani be remanded to four days' police custody. She directed the Delhi police to get her medically examined every 24 hours and allow her to keep medicines with her if required. She also allowed her lawyer to be present during her interrogation by the police and directed the lawyer not to interfere in the questioning.

Ms. Ramani's lawyer might also accompany her to Goa where she would be taken by the police to recover certain documents related to the case. The police had demanded five days' custody of Ms. Ramani for the purpose.

The police submitted that the other accused persons involved in the forgery of the documents were to be traced at her instance.

A joint team of the Delhi police and the Goa police had arrested Ms. Ramani on Wednesday in Goa when they saw her "walking on road".

Informing the court that his client had called Delhi Police Commissioner K. K. Paul, intimating him that she was in Goa and was not running away from the law, counsel for Bina Ramani said that his client was ready to submit to the court directions.

However, the court objected to Ms. Ramani calling up the Police Commissioner, observing that being an accused she could not talk to a senior police officer.

Counsel for the accused also objected to Ms. Ramani's arrest after sunset in violation of a recent amendment to CPC, which says that women accused cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise. On this, Ms. Lau said she could not say anything about it, as there were ambiguities in the law, which only higher court had the power to decide.