A Dhaka Cyber Crime Tribunal yesterday deferred the bail petition and charge framing hearing against human rights organisation Odhikar’s Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its Director AKM Nasiruddin Elan.
Cyber Crime Tribunal judge AKM Shamsul Alam fixed September 25 as the date for the next hearing.
Assistant Bench Officer of the tribunal Md Muktar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that as the public prosecutor of the tribunal was not yet appointed, the tribunal deferred the hearing. He also said jail authorities could not produce the accused before the court because of the Jamaat enforced hartal.
Earlier, on September 11, the tribunal took into cognisance the charges against the accused and ordered the issue of an arrest warrant against another accused, Nasiruddin Elan, who is absconding.
That day, the tribunal directed the officer-in-charge of the Gulshan police station to execute the arrest warrant and submit a report before the tribunal by September 19. The tribunal also asked the prison authority to produce Adilur before the tribunal for the September 19 hearing.
The case document was transferred from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court to the Dhaka Cyber Crime Tribunal for trial on September 5 after the Detective Branch (DB) submitted specific charges to the Metropolitan Magistrate Court against Adilur and Elan.
The DB submitted the charges after investigating the General Diary (GD) on charges against them of distorting facts about the eviction drive against Hifazat-e-Islam at Shaapla Chattar on May 5.
The charges were pressed under three sections of the penal code, sources said.
Earlier, on August 10, plain-clothes police arrested Adilur near his Gulshan residence in the capital after Odikhar, in one of its recent report, claimed that 61 people were killed in the police drive on that “fateful” night on May 5.
On August 11, the court granted five days remand to police for the interrogation of Adilur and permitted the DB to search Adilur’s residence and office for documents.
On August 12, the High Court, in an order, halted the remand and sent him to prison. The HC also ordered to provide him division according to the Jail code.