A Dhaka court on Monday framed charges against photo journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in three cases under the Digital Security Act.
With this, the formal trial against the accused began.
On Monday, Dhaka Cyber Tribunal judge Assamese Jaglul Hossain ordered the formation of charges in the case filed with the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations.
The formal trial started through the charge framing.
The defence pleader Barister Jotirmoy Barua took part in discharge hearing and the government pleader Nazrul ZIslam Shamim opposed the discharge plea.
After hearing both the sides, the court framed charges against him and set next date for testimony of witnesses.
Investigators have charged photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol with circulating indecent, defamatory, objectionable and fake information about some ministers, lawmakers and top Juba Mahila League leaders on Facebook.
After an almost 10-month probe, sub-inspector Mohammad Russell Mollah of Detective Branch of police, also the investigation officer, filed the charge-sheet with Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of Dhaka on February 4 in a case under the Digital Security Act.
On March 9 last year, Awami League lawmaker from Magura-1 constituency Saifuzzaman Shikhor filed a case against Kajol and 31 others, including Daily Manab Zamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station.
He accused them of publishing a report with false information regarding expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Noor Papia — who had been arrested back in February on charges of smuggling counterfeit notes and sentenced to jail in October in an arms case — and circulating it on social media.
Two more digital security cases were also filed against him with the Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations in Dhaka on March 10 and 11.
On March 10, Kajol went missing after leaving his office. After a 53-day disappearance, he turned up in police custody on May 3 after the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested him on charges of trespassing at Benapole border in Jessore.
For seven months, he was denied bail several times by the lower court. Finally, the High Court granted him permanent bail in the three cases in November and December. He walked out of jail after 237 days on December 25.
On April 18 this year, Detective Branch (DB) of police submitted the charge sheet against the photojournalist, and dropped the names of 31 others from the charges, as their involvement was not found.
