Pori Moni zoned out in the courtroom due to a “splitting headache” after appearing in court for a hearing in a narcotics case.
The incident occurred during the hearing of her bail petition at Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder’s court on Sunday. She was granted bail by the judge, reports bdnews24.com.
Actress Shamsunnahar Smriti, popularly known as Pori Moni, arrived at the court around 2 pm and appeared pale when she was sitting on the front-row bench. His lawyer informed the court about her illness.
The court proceedings began at 2:12 pm and Pori Moni went up to the dock. She looked restless, taking off her masks to breathe during the hearing.
After the court granted her bail, she left the dock and stood outside. Mobbed by reporters, Pori Moni retreated into the courtroom and fell ill. She was seen lying on a bench.
She left the court premises after a while when she felt better.
ALLEGATIONS OF CONTEMPT OF COURT
Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu, who represented the state and opposed Pori Moni’s bail petition, accused the actress of contempt of court as she did not arrive on time for the hearing.
The hearing was scheduled to begin at 12:30 pm but Pori Moni was more than an hour late to arrive there.
Pori Moni’s lawyer Nilanjana Rifat Surovi appealed to defer the hearing and the court adjusted the hearing’s time to 2:30 pm. However, she made it to the court before that.
While appealing for her client’s bail, Nilanjana said, “Pori Moni’s bail remained effective until the chargesheet was filed. The chargesheet has been filed and we are pleading for bail now.”
“She is a film actress and is under contracts for many movies. She received bail in the case before and did not violate any terms. We will abide by those terms this time as well.”
Public Prosecutor Abu Abdullah then said, “We arrived at the court at 12:30 pm. The accused was not yet here. She showed contempt of court. Everyone is equal before the law and has to show respect to the court. Late arrival is unacceptable.”
“A 5-10-minute delay is acceptable. But arriving more than an hour late is not.”
Opposing the bail plea, he said, “She was not granted a permanent bail. A huge amount of drugs was found in her possession. Bail is not usually granted in such cases … I am opposing her bail petition.”
The court granted the bail after hearing arguments from both sides.