The High Court has summoned the investigating officer in the narcotics case against actress Shamsunnahar Smriti, popularly known by her screen name Pori Moni.
The court has ordered the officer to appear in person on Sept 15 with the case docket. The officer has also been instructed to clarify and explain his position on why another remand petition was made for the actress.
The High Court has also ordered Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrates Mamunur Rashid and Atiqul Islam to submit an explanation to the court on what basis they approved the second and third rounds of remand against Pori Moni within 10 days.
If their explanation is unsatisfactory, the High Court has warned that it may summon the magistrates as well, reports bdnews24.com.
The High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar made the decision after hearing a motion challenging the magistrates’ decisions on bail petitions made by Pori Moni and the remand petitions against her.
The decision comes a day after the High Court bench heard the motion put forward by Pori Moni’s lawyer Md Mojibur Rahman and the Ain O Salish Kendra, a human rights and legal assistance group.
At the time, senior judge Mustafa Zaman Islam said he believed the authority of ordering remands one after another has been “abused” in the case.
“What material was present in the investigating officers’ petition that this remand was approved?” he had said on Wednesday. “This cannot happen in any civilised society.”
The High Court bench then responded to the motion regarding the legality of the bail and remand decisions on Thursday.
Pori Moni was arrested from her home on Jul 4 by the Rapid Action Battalion with an alleged stash of drugs and alcohol.
The actress had previously made headlines after accusing a businessman of raping her at a boat club in Dhaka. Following her arrest, Dhaka courts granted the CID three rounds of remand to interrogate her over the case. They also turned down bail petitions from her defence team several times.
Finally, on Aug 31, a Dhaka court granted Pori Moni bail until the chargesheet in the case was submitted. She was freed from jail on Sept 1.
