3 more cases filed against Star editor

Three more defamation cases have been filed against The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam in four districts.

With these, the number of total lawsuits filed against Anam in 53 districts since February 9 reached 79. Of them, 17 involve pleas for bringing sedition charges against him, while the rest are defamation suits.

In Faridpur, joint convener of Jubo League’s local district unit Md Jahid Bepari claimed Tk 50 crore as compensation in a defamation suit filed this morning.

After hearing, Judge Hamidul Islam of Faridpur’s cognisance court-1 summoned Anam to appear before it on March 15, said Golam Rabbani alias Babu Mridha, lawyer of the complainant. 

In Chittagong, Ritu Das Babul, a member of Jubo League, the youth front of Awami League, filed a libel suit on Thursday with Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Court-2 claiming Tk 100 crore compensation, said court sources.

The court summoned Anam to appear before it on May 10.

In Chuadanga, Md Shafiqul Islam, joint general secretary of Awami Ainjibi Parishad’s district unit, today filed a defamation case claiming Tk 10 crore as compensation.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Dr ABM Mahmudul Haque set March 8 for next hearing.

Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate in Magura, which did not take into cognisance a defamation suit against Mahfuz Anam on Thursday, today summoned Anam to appear before it on March 8.

The case spree began days after the Star editor at a talk show on February 3 made an introspective comment about a lapse in his editorial judgement in publishing a few reports, based on information given by the Task Force Interrogation Cell during the 2007-08 tenure of the last caretaker government, without being able to verify those independently.