A Dhaka court on Wednesday framed charges against Dhallywood actor Shamsunnahar Smriti, better known as Pori Moni, and two of her associates in a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act.
The two other accused are Ashraful Islam Dipu and Kabir Hossain.
Judge Nazrul Islam of the Dhaka’s Tenth Special Judge’s Court also set February 1 as the date for recording witness testimonies in the trial.
When the judge read out the charges, Pori Moni pleaded not guilty, adding that the allegation of her car being used for delivering drugs was categorically untrue.
Earlier, the indictment hearing was deferred several times as Pori Moni did not appear before the court citing health grounds. She is currently on bail in the case filed with Banani police.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed the charge sheet on October 4 last year.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on November 15 accepted the charge sheet and transferred it to the special judge’s court for further proceedings.
Pori Moni was detained on August 4 after members of the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided her Banani flat and seized foreign liquor and different drugs. RAB also arrested her associate, producer-director Nazrul Raz.
The Dhallywood actor was remanded multiple times before she secured bail on August 31. She was released from jail the next day.