Staff Reporter :
Two lower court judges who placed actress Shamsunnahar Smriti, better known as Pori Moni, on second and third phases of police remand in a narcotics case sought unconditional apology to the High Court.
At the same time they promised to the court that they will be more cautious in future in granting remand and in discharging their judicial duties.
Their lawyer on Sunday placed their explanation in the High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice A S M Abdul Mobin.
After holding hearing on the explanation the High Court bench fixed November 25 for passing order on the issue. The court also exempted the investigation officer of the case, Kazi Golam Mostafa, from personal appearance.
Lawyer Md Abdul Alim Miah Jewel appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the two judges, while lawyer ZI Khan Panna represented the Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) and Assistant Attorney General Mizanur Rahman represented the state.
Later Mr Abdul Alim Miah Jewel said that the two judges sought unconditional apology in the High Court for their “unintentional mistakes.”
The two judges are metropolitan magistrates Debobrata Biswas and Atikul Islam. Debobrata granted placed Pori Moni for the second phase remand for two days and Atikul placed for the third phase remand for one day.
On August 4, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained Pori Moni after a raid in her house. RAB claimed that they had seized a huge quantity of narcotics from her residence. Later RAB filed a case against her under the Narcotics Control Act.
Pori Moni was sent to 7-day remand by three judges consecutively in the case. After 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 September 1 got released from the Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.
Meanwhile, the High Court questioned the second and third phases of remand granted to the actress. 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 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 on September 15. But the court expressed its dissatisfaction over their explanations.
On September 29, the High Court sought further explanations from the two lower court judges as their first explanations were not satisfactory. The court asked them to submit their explanations by October 31.
