Ahmedabad, Dec 17: A local court today adjourned
till December 22 hearing on a plea by noted danseuse Mallika
Sarabhai, prime accused in an alleged visa racket, seeking
permission to travel out of Gujarat for cultural programmes
later this month and in January next year.
Additional city and Sessions Judge P B Desai adjourned
the matter after public prosecutor J M Panchal sought time to
file his reply.
The application was filed on December 15 and was
scheduled for hearing today.
Mallika has sought permission to visit Mumbai on December
24 and several places including Mumbai, Delhi, Trichur,
Hyderabad and Kolkata in January, 2004.
While granting anticipatory bail to the dancer on October
29, the court had directed her to seek permission for
travelling out of Gujarat. Later, on November 17, the court
had rejected her plea for `modifying' the anticipatory bail
conditions that restricted her travelling out of Gujarat and
country.
The city police has lodged offences under sections 420
and 409 of IPC against Sarabhai, an "agent" Dhimant Upadhyay
and Darpana academy of performing arts, after a complaint by
one Manushi Shah, that the danseuse had defrauded her of a sum
payable after cancellation of a cultural tour to the US.
Meanwhile, the high court will tomorrow conduct the
further hearing on the danseuse's plea to quash the fir
registered against her by the Naranpura police.
Bureau Report
