A writ petition was filed yesterday with the High Court challenging the government decision that cancelled the declaration of publications of the daily Amar Desh.
Meantime, Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of the recently closed Amar Desh, was shown arrested yesterday in another case in which police sought ten days’ remand for interrogation.
Hizb-ut Tahrir chief Prof Mohiuddin Ahmed is the principal accused in the case filed with Uttara Police Station in April for creating subversive activities across the country.
The court, however, fixed today for hearing on the remand prayer.
Mahmudur Rahman was also placed on a four-day remand in two separate criminal cases filed with Kotwali and Tejgaon police stations yesterday.
First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan placed him on a day’s remand in the case filed with Kotwali Police Station on charges of obstructing policemen in discharging their duties when he was being produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on June 2.
He was also placed on a three-day remand in the case filed with Tejgaon Police Station on charges of obstructing policemen in discharging their duties when they entered the office of the daily to arrest him.
Proceedings of the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mehedi Hassan Talukder were suspended for half an hour following a war of words between the two sides when the magistrate prevented the accused from telling something during the first hearing on the remand prayer at 2:30pm.
At one stage, one of the lawyers threw a cell phone cover towards the magistrate that forced him to leave the courtroom. Later, Mehedi Hassan along with Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Enamul Haque took their seats again and heard the remand prayer. But the prosecution and the defence created a chaotic situation in the courtroom.
Later, the case was transferred to another court for hearing on the remand prayer where Mahmudur was granted remand for three days.
Police arrested Mahmudur Rahman on June 2 from his Amar Desh office at Karwan Bazar after its former publisher Hasmat Ali Hasu filed a cheating case against him with Tejgaon Shilpanchal Police Station.
WRIT PETITION
Anwar-un-Nabi, acting chairman of the daily Amar Desh, filed the writ petition seeking a stay on the government decision that cancelled the declaration of the publications of the daily.
An HC bench of Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif fixed today for hearing on the petition.
The district magistrate on June 1 cancelled the declaration of the daily’s publications on the ground that there is no publisher of the newspaper.
Meanwhile, President of Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Bangladesh Zahirul Alam and its General Secretary Imran Alam in a statement yesterday urged the government to cancel its decision in the interest of the freedom of press and speech.
They also demanded release of Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of the daily.
Our Faridpur Correspondent reports, four cases were filed with a Faridpur court against acting editor, publisher and the Faridpur correspondent of daily Amar Desh and a local daily Surjer Kiron in last two days.
The cases were filed against them on charges of describing Khondoker Nuru Mia, father of Labour, Employment and Expatriate Welfare Minister Khondoker Mosharaf Hosssain as rajakar.
Aminul Islam Alam, an Awami League activist, Nazrul Islam Mridha, secretary of Faridpur town AL and Mainuddin Ahmed Manu, organising secretary of Faridpur district AL, filed the defamation suits protesting a news item published in Bengali daily Amar Desh and local daily Surjer Kiron on May 25.
Source: The Daily Star – 08.06.2010