Barrister Mainul Hosein was shown arrested yesterday in a case filed by an Awami League leader under the Digital Security Act for “dishonouring journalist Masuda Bhatti and the entire female community”. 

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Keshab Roy Chowdhury passed the order after Ziaul Haque, sub-inspector of Gulshan Police Station, submitted a petition to show Mainul as arrested in the case.

On October 24, advocate Sumona Akhter Lily, a member of the AL's youth and sports related sub-committee, filed the case with the Cyber Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka.

After the hearing, the tribunal directed the officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station to register it as a regular case, which they did after getting the order.

In the case statement, Sumona said Mainul had “dishonoured all women”, including her, by calling Masuda “a person of loose morals” during a live talk show on October 16.

Mainul, who is now in Dhaka Central Jail in a defamation case, is facing 18 other cases.

DIVISION FOR MAINUL

Meanwhile, the High Court will deliver an order today on a writ petition filed by Mainul's wife Saju Hossain asking for first class division facilities for Mainul.

The bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil fixed the date for passing the order after concluding hearing on the petition.

In the petition, Saju said Mainul was a former member of parliament, an adviser to a former caretaker government, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and a member of the constitution drafting committee.

But the jail authorities are not giving him division facilities in jail, Saju Hossain said in the petition.

Saju prayed to the HC to order the authorities concerned of the government and Dhaka Central Jail to give him first class division facilities in the jail, Advocate Masud Rana, a lawyer for the petitioner, told The Daily Star.

He said Mainul would be given a room, a bed and other facilities as per the jail code if the prayer was granted.

During the hearing on the petition, Dr Kamal Hossain and Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain appeared for the petitioner saying that Mainul is supposed to get the division facilities in jail considering his stature and dignity.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam opposed the writ petition saying that Mainul should have applied to the magistrate court concerned.

Mainul was arrested in the capital's Uttara on October 22 in connection with a defamation case filed in Rangpur, Advocate Masud Rana said.

CASE IN JASHORE, RAJSHAHI

A Jashore court yesterday issued an arrest warrant against Mainul after Laizu Zaman, Jashore district unit Chairman of Jatiya Mohila Sangstha, filed a defamation case seeking Tk 9 crore in damages, reports our correspondent.  

Elsewhere, Jakia Parvin Swapna, vice president of Rajshahi city unit of Jubo Mohila League, filed a defamation case against Mainul.

Afterwards, Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbubur Rahman issued a summons asking Mainul to appear before it on January 15 of next year.