The Portugal high court has ordered the extradition of Monica Bedi, a little known Bollywood actress and girlfriend of underworld don Abu Salem.

The order was communicated to the Central Bureau of Investigation officially on Friday by the Lisbon authorities, highly placed agency sources told PTI.

The Portugal high court, in its order of July 14, said that Bedi could be extradited to India to face trial in a case related to possession of forged passport, the sources said.

The high court had ordered her extradition in November last year, which was, however, challenged by Bedi in the Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the high court asking it to give a reasoned order as to why she should be extradited.

The high court said that Salem's girlfriend could be sent to India and stand trial for forging travel documents.

The CBI's petition, filed by the Portuguese Prosecutor General seeking directions to keep Bedi in custody till her extradition trial was finalised, was also accepted by the high court.

Bedi is serving a two-year jail term awarded by a lower Portuguese court on charges of entering the country on a forged document and continuing to use the same document for stay in that country. The sentence would end on September 17 this year.

She can still approach the Portuguese Supreme Court against the high court's order.

Abu Salem has also been held "guilty" of three offences, including entering Portugal on forged documents, and awarded four-and-a-half year jail term. 

The CBI had sought Bedi's extradition for obtaining a fake travel document in the name of Sanha Kamal Mallick from Hyderabad. She was caught in Portugal with the same passport and detained on September 18 2002 along with Salem and two other companions.

During her extradition trial, her brother Bobby Bedi had deposed before the Court and said that his sister and Salem had entered Portugal as they feared threat to their lives from the Indian mafia.

The extradition order of Monica came after Supreme Court of Portugal stayed the order of a trial court that rejected her extradition and directed recommencement of proceedings.

While rejecting the extradition request, the trial court had said in July, Bedi could be tried in Portugal, as offence of fraud committed by her in India was punishable in that country since she had committed a similar offence there.

In its appeal, the CBI stated Bedi had submitted forged documents to obtain passports whereas the crime committed in Portugal was possession of forged documents and the two crimes were different.

The case was being handled by Additional Director of CBI Vijay Shanker who had led a team to Portugal following reports of arrest of Salem and Monica.