HYDERABAD: No blood samples will be taken from Tollywood actress Charmme Kaur when she is questioned on Wednesday about her possible involvement with drug peddlers in Telugu cinema.
After hearing her petition today, Hyderabad High Court judge A Rajasekar Reddy directed the detectives of Prohibition and Excise Department to question Charmme between 10 am and 5 pm on Wednesday, at a place of her choice.
The judge, however, turned down her request to allow her to take her lawyers along with her to her grilling. The HC further directed the detectives not to force her to submit blood samples.
Charmme’s lawyer P Vishnuvardhan Reddy argued that questioning the actress under duress would be unconstitutional and against the guidelines given by the Supreme Court in the Nandini Satpathy case.
He asserted that his client is neither an accused nor a witness in the case.
The special counsel for Prohibition and Excise, Sharath Kumar, clarified that no pressure was sought to bring upon the actress to submit samples. The actress is among 12 Tollywood personalities who have been summoned to explain their presence in the call records of drug dealers arrested in Hyderabad in recent weeks.
All actors, directors and celebrities who have been summoned so far, have voluntarily given samples of their blood, hair, nail scrapings and so on, he said. Judge Rajasekhar Reddy gave his approval to Sharath Kumar’s argument against allowing actress Charmme access to her lawyers while being questioned by the Excise and Prohibition Officials. However, a woman officer will be present and the department agreed not to pressure the actress during questioning. The entire proceedings and interrogation will be video graphed they added.
Charmme scheduled to be grilled today
Actress Charmme Kaur is scheduled to attend the questioning on Wednesday, according to enforcement wing director Akun Sabharwal. “Charmme Kaur is to appear before the SIT tomorrow morning at 10.30,” he said.