Actress Pori Moni has been granted bail after surrendering before a court in a case filed by businessman Nasir Uddin Mahmud over allegations of assault, vandalism and intimidation. The court granted her bail today, Thursday, a day after issuing an arrest warrant against her.
Pori Moni got out of a white car parked on the premises of the Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Court at 11:40 am today. She appeared before the court and surrendered at 11:55 am, seeking bail. After a hearing, Judicial Magistrate Mahfuzur Rahman granted her bail on a bond of Tk 500.
Her lawyer, Nilanjona Rifat, confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo. She said, “The court issued an arrest warrant against Pori Moni yesterday. We surrendered before the court today and applied for bail. After the hearing, the court granted her bail.”
Wednesday was scheduled for the recording of witness testimony in the case. However, Pori Moni could not appear before the court.
Although her lawyer filed an application seeking more time on her behalf, the court rejected it, cancelled her bail and ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant.
Nasir Uddin Mahmud filed the case at a Dhaka court on 6 July 2022. In his complaint, he alleged that on the night of 9 June 2021, Pori Moni and her associates went to the Boat Club in Savar. At around 1:15 am, as he and his associate Shah Shahidul Alam were leaving the club, Pori Moni called him over and asked him to sit with her for a while.
Nasir alleged that at one point, Pori Moni pressured him to give her a bottle of alcohol free of charge. When he refused, she verbally abused him. During an ensuing altercation, she threw a glass and a mobile phone at him, injuring his head and chest. In the case, Nasir also accused her of assault, threatening to kill him and vandalising the club.
Meanwhile, Pori Moni had earlier filed a case at Savar Police Station against Nasir Uddin and others over the Boat Club incident, accusing them of rape and attempted murder.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) submitted its investigation report to the court in 2024. In the report, investigation officer and PBI Dhaka District Inspector Md Monir Hossain said evidence had been found to support the allegations of assault and intimidation against Pori Moni and her costume designer, Junaid Bogdadi Jimi. However, the report stated that no evidence had been found to support the allegations against another accused, Fatema Tuz Jannat Bony.
After accepting the investigation report, the court issued summonses directing Pori Moni and Jimi to appear before it. They appeared in court and secured bail on 25 June 2024.