A Pabna court today summoned The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam to appear before it on March 24 in a defamation case.

Judge Rezaul Karim of Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-1 passed the order after police submitted an investigation report complying with an earlier order, our Pabna correspondent reports quoting Shah Alam, president of the district's bar association who is a counsel for the plaintiff.

Rejaur Rahim Lal, Awami League vice-president of district unit, filed the defamation case with the court on February 16.

In the case, the plaintiff said that The Daily Star editor defamed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by publishing a few reports based on information supplied by task force intelligence cell during caretaker government regime in 2007.

The case was filed when a galore of lawsuits came days after the Star editor regretted at the television talk show on February 3 about a lapse in his editorial judgement in publishing a few reports based on information supplied by task force intelligence cell during the last caretaker government regime without being able to verify independently.