HC asks 2 judges to clarify remand of Pori Moni

The High Court on Thursday asked two lower court judges to explain the reason why they accepted the police prayer to remand actress Pori Moni for multiple times in a narcotics case.

The judges of Dhaka Metropolitan Court have been ordered to submit their explanations to the HC in next 10 days.

The court also summoned the investigation officer (IO) of the case to appear before it on September 15 along with relevant documents to explain why he repeatedly sought remand for the actress.

The virtual HC bench of Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Kajal passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) over the matter.

The bench said it will also summon the metropolitan magistrates concerned who granted the prayers for taking Pori Moni in remand for second and third times, if their written explanation is found not satisfactory.

Besides, the HC said there was potential abuse of power in the remand of the actress.

“Without proper reasoning, the IO demanded the remands and the judges even accepted it. This cannot go on in a civilised society,” the HC observed.

“Remand is to be applied only in exceptional cases,” the HC added.

ASK’s lawyer ZI Khan Panna told the HC during the hearing that its guidelines and directives have all been thrown out of the window in the manner by which the actress was placed on remand in three phases. Pori Moni was arrested on Aug 4 following a raid by Rab on her Banani residence. A case was filed against her under the Narcotics Act the following day.

Following the HC intervention, a Dhaka court finally granted bail to the actress on Tuesday and she walked out of jail the following day.