The court has rejected a petition to file a case under the Cyber Security Act against a content creator over allegedly “false and defamatory” posts on Facebook about Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman. The petition was dismissed as it lacked grounds for accepting the case.
On Thursday, Judge Mohammad Saidur Rahman Gazi of the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal delivered the order.
Jewel Mia, assistant to the relevant tribunal bench, confirmed the matter.
Earlier, on Wednesday, BNP Lawyers’ Forum Central Committee Joint General Secretary Iltutmish Saudagar filed the petition as the plaintiff. Along with content creator Shahin Mahmud (MH), another unknown individual was also named as a defendant.
The court had recorded the plaintiff’s statement on Wednesday and reserved the order, which was issued on Thursday.
According to the petition, on November 12 this year, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, during a virtual party rally, said: “In the current situation, getting a fair price for potatoes is far more important than a general election.”
On Saturday, the defendant Shahin Mahmud posted on his verified Facebook account targeting Tarique Rahman, writing: “If the Tk8.8 crore had been given to farmers instead of buying a bulletproof car, onions and potatoes would have received fair prices.”
The petition alleged that through this post, the defendant deliberately tried to question Tarique Rahman’s dignity, honor, patriotism, and political foresight using a false and irresponsible statement.
It also stated that the defendant committed the act with the intent to tarnish Tarique Rahman’s political and social reputation. No luxury bulletproof car was purchased with the claimed Tk8.8 crore, it added.