The High Court said Charmme Kaur must be questioned in the drugs case only between 10 am and 5 pm
Highlights
- Charmme Kaur requested her lawyer be present when she is questioned
- Excise officials have said they have not forced anyone to give samples
- Other top Telugu actors are being investigated in a drug racket
The Hyderabad High Court has said excise officials cannot forcibly collect blood, nail and hair samples from actor Charmme Kaur, who is among a dozen top Telugu actors being investigated in a massive drug racket busted earlier this month.
Ms Kaur had moved the High Court yesterday, saying her name being linked to the drugs case is damaging her image as an actor and as a young, unmarried woman. She had also said she cannot be forced to give samples check for traces of drugs and had requested that her lawyer be present when she is questioned in the case.
The court has today disallowed the presence of a lawyer, but said Mr Kaur, 30, must be questioned only between 10 am and 5 pm. She has been asked to appear before the Special Investigation Team handling the drug case on Wednesday.
Excise officials have said they have not forced anyone to give samples. "We are not forcing anyone. Only two people have given samples so far and that too after written consent. If they don't want to give, then we just state that in the case diary and submit it in court. The court can make its own assessment."
Film director Puri Jagannath, cinematographer Sham K Naidu, actors Subbaraju, Tarun and Navdeep have already been questioned for hours in the case. Art director Dharma Rao appeared before investigators today. They all denied any links with drug dealers.
The police allege that their phone numbers were found on the contact list on a mobile phone seized from Calvin Mascarenhas, who the police say is the kingpin of the drug racket they busted. Calvin is among 12 people arrested in the case, which revealed that students of Hyderabad's top schools and colleges were using LSD and other drugs.