Staff Reporter :
The High Court could not be satisfied with the explanations submitted by two lower court judges who granted police remand for actress Shamsunnahar Smriti, better known as Pori Moni, for multiple times in a narcotics case.
The High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar expressed their dissatisfaction on Wednesday while holding hearing on the explanations submitted by Metropolitan Magistrates Devobrata Biswas and Atikul Islam.
The High Court said, “The lower court judges didn’t believe that they had granted police remand to Pori Moni in phases in violation of the Supreme Court directives and guidelines as well as abusing their power. That is why we are not satisfied with their explanations.”
The court also fixed September 29 for further hearing on the issue.
In their explanation, the two judges said that their mistake was unintentional and did it in good faith and prayed for exemption from further proceedings over the issue.
The investigation officer of the case also appeared in the court with all the documents of the case complying with the court’s earlier order. The court asked the IO to appear on the next hearing date to place his explanations over the repeated demands for remanding the actress.
Earlier on September 2 the High Court asked the two judges to submit explanations in the court on what basis they approved the second and third phases of remand against actress Pori Moni within 10 days.
The court also summoned the investigating officer of the case Kazi Golam Mostafa to appear in person on September 15 with the case docket. The officer has also been instructed to explain his position as to why he placed second phase remand petition for the actress.
Complying with the court order, the lower court judges sent their explanations and the investigating officer appeared in the court.
The High Court bench on September 1 termed the decisions of sending an accused on repeated remand as not the functions of any civilized society. It also observed that the actress Pori Moni was remanded three times in a drug case by ‘abuse of power’.
Meanwhile, the actress appeared in a Dhaka court on Wednesday in the case and submitted two separate petitions seeking order for return of her valuables seized by CID.
Following the High Court interference a judge of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court on August 31 granted bail to Pori Moni. Following the bail order Pori Moni on Wednesday morning got released from the Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.
On August 4, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained Pori Moni after a raid in her house. RAB also seized a huge quantity of narcotics from her residence. Later RAB filed a case against her under the Narcotics Control Act.
