The High Court (HC) today directed the returning officers to receive and scrutinise nomination papers of three aspirants of Dhaka-16 and Kishoreganj-1and Kishoreganj-2 constituencies in 12 hours.
The candidates are Sadakat Khan Sakku (independent) for Dhaka 16, Md Azharul Islam (Gonoforum) for Kishoreganj-1 and M Shafiur Rahman Khan Bachchu (Gonoforum) for Kishoreganj-2 constituency.
The HC bench of Justice Tariqul Hakim and Justice Md Suhrawardy passed the order following three writ petitions filed by the aspirants.
The three candidates,in the petitions, said that they went to the returning officers of the concerned constituencies to submit their nomination papers on November 28 but the ROs did not receive their nominations saying they were delayed in submitting the papers.
They filed the petitions seeking HC directives upon the returning officers to receive and scrutinise their papers.
WHEN IS THE ELECTION?
Election Commission has revised polls schedule, deferring the 11th general election by a week to December 30 – a decision taken in November.
As per the schedule, November 28 was the deadline to submit nomination papers, December 2 was the date for scrutiny and December 9 the last date for withdrawal.
Throughout the last half of November, major political parties were busy selecting their chosen candidates for the 300 constituencies across Bangladesh.
The High Court (HC) today directed the returning officers to receive and scrutinise nomination papers of three aspirants of Dhaka-16 and Kishoreganj-1and Kishoreganj-2 constituencies in 12 hours.
The candidates are Sadakat Khan Sakku (independent) for Dhaka 16, Md Azharul Islam (Gonoforum) for Kishoreganj-1 and M Shafiur Rahman Khan Bachchu (Gonoforum) for Kishoreganj-2 constituency.
The HC bench of Justice Tariqul Hakim and Justice Md Suhrawardy passed the order following three writ petitions filed by the aspirants.
The three candidates,in the petitions, said that they went to the returning officers of the concerned constituencies to submit their nomination papers on November 28 but the ROs did not receive their nominations saying they were delayed in submitting the papers.
They filed the petitions seeking HC directives upon the returning officers to receive and scrutinise their papers.
WHEN IS THE ELECTION?
Election Commission has revised polls schedule, deferring the 11th general election by a week to December 30 – a decision taken in November.
As per the schedule, November 28 was the deadline to submit nomination papers, December 2 was the date for scrutiny and December 9 the last date for withdrawal.
Throughout the last half of November, major political parties were busy selecting their chosen candidates for the 300 constituencies across Bangladesh.
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The High Court today (July 26, 2022) observed that the most serious crimes are being committed in the banking sector of the country.
"If the offences continue to be committed, how will the country progress?" – the HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat asked.
The High Court bench made the observation during hearing a petition filed by four Islami Bank officials, including one Abu Bakar, seeking bail in a loan-related corruption case over Tk 2.3 lakh.
The bench told the accused officials that the court would have sent them to jail in connection with the case, but did not do so as the amount is small.
Without granting bail, the court ordered the four accused petitioners to surrender to the trial court concerned in four weeks in connection with the case, Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Fowjia Akhter Popy told The Daily Star.
The ACC filed the graft case with its Rajshahi office against the four bank officials on charge of embezzling money from the Islami Bank's Shibganj branch in Chapainawabganj, the lawyer said.
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The High Court yesterday said the Prothom Alo has the right to get justice because it had corrected the mistake it made in an online report on March 26.
"Everybody has the right to get protection of law. The complainant could have gone to Bangladesh Press Council if he was aggrieved by the report.
"As far as we know, Prothom Alo publishes objective reports. They have a slogan -- in search of truth. They are a pioneer in news publishing. But how will it work if you publish this kind of news?" asked the court referring to the March 26 report.
The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Aminul Islam made the observations while hearing a petition filed by Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman seeking bail in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.
The bench granted him anticipatory bail for six weeks and asked him to show up at the metropolitan sessions judge's court in Dhaka after six weeks and seek fresh bail.
The courtroom was packed with lawyers and journalists.
Matiur appeared virtually before the bench from the Supreme Court premises during the hearing.
Lawyers Fida M Kamal, ZI Khan Panna, Imtiaz Mahmood, Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Prashanta Kumar Karmoker appeared for Matiur while Additional Attorney General Mohammad Mehedi Hassan Chowdhury and Deputy Attorney General Sujit Chatterjee Bappi opposed the bail petition.
Matiur, Prothom Alo staff reporter Shamsuzzaman Shams, an unnamed photographer, and unnamed others were sued over a report published on March 26, the Independence Day.
As far as we know, Prothom Alo publishes objective reports. They have a slogan -- in search of truth. They are a pioneer in news publishing. But how will it work if you publish this kind of news?
— A High Court bench while hearing the Prothom Alo editor's petition for bail.
While posting the said report written by Shams on social media, Prothom Alo made a "card" with a quote of a labourer named Zakir Hossain. Though the card contained Zakir's quote, it had the photo of an adolescent boy taken from behind.
It was noticed within 17 minutes, and the card was removed. Besides, corrections were made to the report and the news was again published online mentioning the corrections.
Around 4:00am on March 29, Shams was picked up from his home in Savar by plainclothes men claiming to be CID officers. His whereabouts were unknown until he was taken to a Dhaka court around 30 hours later. The court later sent him to jail.
At yesterday's hearing, Fida M Kamal told the court that a lawyer filed the case against Matiur and several others under sections 25, 31 and 35 of the DSA. But there is no element of offences in the report as per these sections.
The sections have been abused through filing of the case, he said, adding that the case was filed in order to harass the Prothom Alo editor and its journalists. A reporter of Ekattor TV has complicated matters by making a report regarding the Prothom Alo report.
The complainant, Abdul Malek Mashiur Malek, said in the case that he remembered the photo of a woman named Basanti in a net published in 1974, Fida told the court.
He then asked how the complainant, who is now 61, could remember the picture after so many years.
Mashiur wrote in the complaint that in 1974, a mentally challenged woman named Basanti was made to wear a net, and a photo of the woman in that state was published in a newspaper spreading panic over famine.
Fida said the mistake, made by Prothom Alo, was noticed within 17 minutes, and corrections were made.
"How did the Prothom Alo report damage the spirit of independence?" he asked.
Presenting his arguments, ZI Khan Panna said Matiur is a freedom fighter, a progressive man, and a former member of the Communist Party, who was also the editor of an esteemed weekly named Ekota.
Justice Mustafa Zaman said, "We used to read the Ekota."
Additional AG Mehedi Hassan Chowdhury then argued that Prothom Alo published the false report with a quote of a child who was given Tk 10 to give the quote on Independence Day.
Another journalist of Ekattor TV discovered the falsehood of Prothom Alo, he said, adding that the Prothom Alo report carried a questionable message.
DAG Sujit Chatterjee told the court that editors like Matiur Rahman, Mahfuz Anam, and Anwar Hossain Manju are institutions in their own right.
"I also read Prothom Alo which is a non-communal newspaper. This is a pro-independence daily.
"But Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman has picked the Independence Day to publish such an irresponsible report in order to tarnish the image of the state and the government and to destabilise the country when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is taking the nation forward amid the fallout from Ukraine war," he said.
Prothom Alo has admitted its offence, he said, adding that the newspaper is used as a shield.
At one stage of the hearing, the HC bench said his (Matiur) own image was damaged as well.
Additional AG Mehedi Hassan Chowdhury told the court that the government has not brought any allegation against Prothom Alo.
Making a mistake and then withdrawing the false report is like returning the money after picking someone's pocket, Mehedi said.
Justice Mustafa Zaman then told him that Prothom Alo withdrew the report after noticing the mistake.
Contacted, Additional AG Mehedi told The Daily Star that he is yet to get any instructions from the government to move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the HC order of bail.
Matiur's lawyer ZI Khan Panna told reporters that a lawyer has filed the case against his client after being personally aggrieved, but the state's additional attorney general and deputy attorney general appeared for the complainant, which is unlawful.
Earlier in the day, another HC bench led by Justice SM Kuddus Zaman refused to hear the bail petition.
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Leftists have rejected the recent election of Bangladesh alleging that state mechanisms were orchestrated to pull a victory of the Awami League.
The administration, law enforcement and intelligence agencies together played a role to influence the election in favour of Awami League, they alleged.
“We reject this fraudulent election and the fake government,” said Ruhin Hossain Prince, a leader of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB).
The programme, a public hearing, held at Jatiya Press Club today, heard accounts of 82 Left Democratic Alliance candidates who took part in the election.
They alleged, all parties except for the components of Awami League-led alliance faced hindrance in every step before, during and after election.
They also alleged, an adverse, fearful situation was created ahead of the election; activists of the AL and its associated bodies attacked rallies and processions of LDA candidates, removed their posters, even assaulted and threatened the candidates.
Mohammad Shah Alam, coordinator of Left Democratic Alliance, demanded abolishing the 11th parliament and arrangement of a fresh election under a neutral administration.
He also said the alliance will wage movement for holding parliamentary polls under a caretaker government.
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The High Court (HC) today rejected a writ petition that challenged the legality of oath taking by lawmakers elected in the December 30 general election.
The court came up with the order saying that there is nothing illegal in taking oath taken by the lawmakers as they took charges of their offices on January 30.
The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order.
Earlier on February 6, the court concluded hearing on the petition and fixed today (February 18) for passing an order.
On that day, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon argued that oath taking by the lawmakers on January 3 was unconstitutional as the tenure of the 10th parliament expired on January 28.
“Therefore, there were two parliaments from January 3 to January 28 -- which is unconstitutional,” he told the court on February 6.
Attorney General MahbubeyAlamhad argued that as new lawmakers took charge on January 30, oath taking was not illegal.
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The national election of December 30 has turned the life of Mofiz Uddin upside down -- and all for supporting BNP.
From a decent tea-shop vendor at Rabeya market of Bonkishore village in Rajshahi's Tanore upazila, the 48-year old man now works on a potato field.
“I have been a dedicated BNP worker since the 90s,” Mofiz said. “If I have committed a crime, it would be my engagement with BNP.”
In a tin-roofed earthen room under a Koroi tree at the market, Mofiz started the shop and ran it for over the last 20 years.
Furnished with a television, eight chairs, five tables, four benches and a few racks of bakery items, sweets and groceries, his tea-shop fetched him around Tk 3,000 a day to support his family of seven.
On December 21, Mofiz joined the election campaign for BNP candidate Aminul Haq when the latter went to Pachondor union.
Later that evening, a group of stick wielding men went to the market and ransacked the outside of his tea-shop, according to eye-witnesses.
“The attackers were outsiders, not known to me,” said a local businessman.
“I heard about the attack on my shop when I reached home, after campaigning that day,” said Mofiz. A friend of his called him from the market and told him to hide as the attackers were looking for him.
Until polls day, local AL men used the tea-shop as the election office of Awami League candidate Omor Faruk Chowdhury.
“Two days after the election ended, some local AL workers damaged what was left of the shop, including the earthen room, tin-roof, furniture, television, and everything else inside.”
Locals told this correspondent that they heard the AL men would build a party office in that place.
When contacted, Reaz Uddin, president of AL unit at Pachondor ward-2, said, “We are yet to decide on building our office there. If not an office, we may construct a passengers' shed that will come to the use of many.”
He said the land was 'khas' and Mofiz had been illegally occupying it.
On the identity of the attackers, he said, “Nobody knows them. They were wearing helmets and came to the village on motorcycles.”
He denied that it was local AL men who had damaged the shop after the election.
“It was Mofiz's brother, nephew and son who damaged the shop,” he said. On why Mofiz's own relatives would damage the shop, Reaz did not have an explanation.
When contacted, Rajshahi Superintendent of Police Md Shahidullah said they had not heard about the incident.
“We will investigate all allegations of post-election violence,” said the SP, adding that police circulated a message in the district so that no one would spread fear among others over feuds during the election.
Upon losing his source of income, Mofiz began work as day labourer on the potato fields to make ends meet, earning a mere Tk 300 a day.
“I am living in fear. I could not even go see the condition of my shop, the one I so dearly built from scratch,” he said.
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