Sagar-Runi Murder: HC drops petition from hearing list

A High Court bench yesterday dropped from its hearing list a petition filed by Tanvir Rahman, seeking cancellation of trial proceeding against him in journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi murder case.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order as Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukdar raised questions on the jurisdiction of this bench over hearing the matter.

DAG Amit told the bench that it has jurisdiction over dealing with the writ petition, but the petition of Tanvir involves criminal jurisdiction.

Tanvir's lawyer Fawzia Karim Firoze opposed DAG's argument, saying that the bench can hear this matter as it has earlier passed an order on this issue.

The HC bench also said it has jurisdiction to hear Tanvir's petition, but dropped it as the DAG raised questions.

The HC bench expressed dissatisfaction as some media have published Rab's probe report on the murder case before it was submitted to the HC.

DAG Amit told the court this is contemptuous and that he did not give the probe report to reporters and he does not know how the media got its copy.

The HC bench said it did not see any fault on the part of the media, as the duty of journalists is to pursue news.

The probe report reached newsmen either from the attorney general's (AG) office or Rab office, the HC bench added.

Advocate Fawzia Karim told reporters that she will apply to the chief justice so that the HC bench led by Justice Enayetur Rahim hears and disposes of Tanvir's petition.

On March 2, Rab handed over a progress report on the investigation into the murder case to AG's office. DAG Amit yesterday submitted the report to the HC bench as per its earlier order.

Tanvir, a family friend of the murdered couple, had been arrested in connection with the murder. Later, he got out of jail on bail.

Sagar, news editor at private TV channel Maasranga, and his wife Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were killed in their West Razabazar flat in the capital on February 11, 2012.