Pori Moni Gets Bail in Drug Case

A Dhaka court today granted bail to film actress Pori Moni and her two aides in a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act.  

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions court's acting Judge Rabiul Alam passed the order after hearing on her bail petition today. 

The court also granted bail to her two associates Ashraful Islam Dipu and Kabir Chowdhury.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Pori Moni on 4 August from her Banani residence. 

Later, the drug case was filed.

The actor was denied bail several times and remained imprisoned in custody for 27 days.

On 13 October, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court judge KM Imrul Kayes fixed today (26 October) for taking chargesheet into cognizance submitted in the drug case against three people, including the actor, Public Prosecution Tapas Kumar Pal confirmed the matter to the media.

On 4 October, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) pressed charges against them in the case. 

Accepting the charge sheet, the court Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder Sikder transferred the case to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court for trial on 13 October. 

Earlier on 26 August, the High Court issued a ruling on the delay in hearing Pori Moni's bail petition.

A plea filed on 29 August challenged the repeated remanding of actor Shamsunnahar Smriti – known by her screen name Pori Moni – and sought the intervention of the HC in this regard.

On 29 September, the HC sought fresh explanations, not being satisfied with explanations submitted by the trial court judges. 

The court also set 24 October for holding a hearing on this issue.

Following a writ petition, on 2 September, the HC directed Dhaka metropolitan magistrates Debabrata Biswas and Atiqul Islam to submit their explanations within 10 days as to why they had repeatedly granted remands to the police for Pori Moni.

On 15 September, the two magistrates submitted their explanations and offered an unconditional apology to the HC. However, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the explanations.

The High Court on Sunday allowed one more week to two metropolitan magistrates to explain on what grounds they had remanded actor Pori Moni several times in a drugs case.