Contempt of Court

4 Amar Desh journos asked to appear before SC today

5 July 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The Appellate Division of Supreme Court (SC) yesterday directed four journalists of recently closed the Bengali daily Amar Desh to appear before it today in a contempt of court petition against them. The respondents are publisher of the newspaper Hashmat Ali, Deputy Editor Syed Abdal Ahmed, News Editor Mustahid Ahmed and Staff Reporter Aliullah Noman. SC lawyers Riaz Uddin Khan and Mynul Hassan filed the petition for publishing a report in the Amar Desh with the headline “Chamber manei sarkar pakkhe stay” translated to “Chamber bench means stay order in favour of the government” on April 21. The four journalists yesterday appeared before the SC in connection with the same petition as per its earlier order. A six-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Mohammed Fazlul Karim asked them to appear today to have a hearing on the matter. The SC on June 2 ordered Mahmudur Rahman and four others to appear yesterday in connection with the contempt of court petition. It also issued a rule asking them to explain why they should not be punished on charge of publishing news which commits gross contempt of court. Barrister Abdur Razzq, counsel for the respondents, told the court that Mahmudur could not appear before the court as he is arrested in other cases.