A Dhaka court today issued arrest warrant against the Daily Janakantha Editor Atiqullah Khan Masud, Advisory Editor Toab Khan and Executive Editor Swadesh Roy in a defamation case as they failed to appear before it.

Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Rani Chakroborty passed the order after the three failed to comply with the court order even though it asked them to appear before it today.

The court also directed officer-in-charge of Ramna Police Station to submit a report on the execution of the arrest warrant by April 25.

On February 22, the accused were summoned to appear at the court today hours after advocate Arfan Uddin Khan, former president of Dhaka Metropolitan Bar Association, filed a defamation case over an article published in the daily on February 4.

Titled "Oboshorer Pore Raie Lekha: Agenda Khaledar, Bastobayoner Dae Ekhon Notun Kadhe" (writing verdicts after retirement: agenda is of Khaleda's, execution onus falls on new shoulder), the article tarnished the judiciary's image and defamed the plaintiff, for he was an officer of the court, reads the case statement.