Hyderabad: Tollywood heroine Charmee Kaur seems to have succeeded in obtaining some relief in the drug investigation when the High Court ordered that samples of blood, hair and nail cannot be obtained without her consent.
The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday afternoon passed orders on the petition filed by the actress questioning the method of investigation by the SIT in the drug scandal. Charmee’s petition was mainly related to four issues in connection with the ongoing investigation in the drug scam for which she had been served with notices by SIT along with 11 others belonging to the film fraternity. Firstly, the actress objected to “forcible” collection of blood samples from those being interrogated and in this connection cited the example of Director Puri Jagannath from whom blood, hair and nail samples were collected.
The other aspect on which the actress sought relief from the court was that she being a lady and also coming from a reputed and respectable family should not be subjected to long hours of questioning dragging till late in the night. Also she insisted that only a lady officer should conduct interrogation and that it should be done in the presence of her advocate.
After hearing arguments of both the counsels for the actress and also SIT in the morning, the court pronounced its order in the afternoon conceding the actress’s plea on three issues and dismissed her plea for the presence of her advocate while being questioned. The court ruled that the interrogation of the actress by SIT should be conducted between 10 am and 5 pm only thus making it clear to the investigating authorities that the questioning cannot be dragged on for hours till late in the night, as was done earlier in the case of other artistes. It was further ruled that the interrogation of the actress should be conducted by only a lady officer and that too in the SIT office.
There is no denial of the fact that the actress had won a major battle with regard to the collection of blood samples. The court ruled that the samples cannot be obtained forcibly and without her consent. However, while in this aspect the actress might have achieved a victory, it has also helped in opening a Pandora’s box as many other artistes and others who have been issued notices might now take her example and refuse to give blood samples.
After the pronouncement of the order by the court, Vishnuvardhan Reddy, the Counsel for the actress expressed satisfaction at the order as most of the issues raised by the petitioner was accepted. Since Charmee has to come for interrogation on Wednesday as per the notification issued to her by SIT, a decision would be taken some time in the evening regarding where she would take the questioning— whether in the SIT office or any other place of her choice, he said but gave a hint that in all probability the actress would go and take the questioning in the SIT office. (NSS)
Charmee succeeds in objecting to give blood samples in drug probe
