New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) A court here Monday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against socialite Bina Ramani for forging a document to claim she had permission to serve liquor at a restaurant where ramp model Jessica Lall was shot dead in April 1999.

Issuing the NBW, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kamini Lau directed the police to arrest Ramani and produce her in the court on or before Sep 15.

Ramani is accused of using forged documents to claim ownership of "Once Upon a Time" restaurant-cum-bar, also known as Tamarind Court in Qutub Colonnade in South Delhi and that she had a license to serve liquor there. Lall was killed in Tamarind Court April 4, 1999 after she had allegedly refused to serve liquor to Manu Sharma, saying the bar had closed for the day.

Sharma and eight others were acquitted earlier this year, sparking widespread outrage. Delhi High Court then ordered Delhi Police to reinvestigate the case.

Aa special investigation team (SIT), set up to probe the destruction of evidence in the Lall murder, was also investigating Ramani's role in this.

The police said its investigations had revealed that Ramani had forged the signature of Diwan Chand (since dead), the alleged owner of the restaurant, to show to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) that she had taken the restaurant on rent from him.

Ramani had also allegedly forged Chand's signature to produce a no-objection certificate (NOC) from him allowing her to serve liquor at the restaurant, the police said.

The police further alleged that Ramani and her husband had forged certain other documents mentioning that they had become owners of the restaurant.

Ramani had obtained a license from the MCD for running the eatery on the basis of forged documents and had used these for registering the eatery with police licensing branch, the investigating officer of the case said.

The ration card that she had submitted to the MCD and the police as her residential proof was also fake, the police alleged.

The Hauz Khas police had earlier this year registered a case against Ramani under sections 120-B (conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.

The investigating officer submitted that Ramani was required for interrogation but had refused to join it.

Allowing the plea, the magistrate said that in view of the nature of allegations, her custodial interrogation was necessary.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh-based doctor J.S. Bedi who had allegedly issued a fake medical certificate to Vikas Gill, one of the accused in the Lall murder, informed Delhi High Court Monday he would surrender before Delhi Police.

Gill had used the certificate to get exemption from personal appearance in the murder trial.

Bedi also withdrew his anticipatory bail application.

Lau had August 25 issued an NBW against Bedi on an application by the Delhi Police saying the accused had been avoiding his appearance before them for interrogation in the case.

On a Delhi High Court direction, Delhi Police registered the case against the doctor in April.