HC wants documents on Kurigram journalist’s jail sentence

The High Court today sought all relevant documents regarding the conviction and jail sentence of Kurigram journalist Ariful Islam, the case against him, bail order and formation of task force and mobile court.

The authorities concerned of the government and the Kurigram court, which granted bail for Ariful, have been asked to produce the documents before this court on next Monday.

The bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Md Rashed Jahangir passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by Harun ur Rashid, an executive editor of online news portal Bangla Tribune, seeking necessary order.

The HC bench also asked the lawyers of the writ petition to bring Ariful, Kurigram correspondent of Bangla Tribune, before this court on Monday, if his health condition is well.  

The court fixed Monday for passing further order on this issue.

During today's hearing, Deputy Attorney General Debashish Bhattcharyya, who represented the government, told the court that the taskforce had punished Ariful by following proper rules and regulations through a mobile court for having drugs.

There was nothing illegal in convicting and sentencing Ariful for the offence, he said, placing the verdict copy given by the mobile court.

Advocate AM Aminuddin and Advocate Ishrat Hassan appeared for the writ petitioners.

A mobile court under a taskforce of Kurigram district administration sentenced Ariful to one-year imprisonment on Saturday from home in the dead of night on charges of "possessing narcotics".

Ariful was released on bail yesterday morning. He narrated the grueling hours of torture to his fellow reporters at Kurigram General Hospital, where he is being treated.