A Dhaka court has opened trial in a digital security case filed with Dhaka’s Motijheel police against Islamist orator Rafiqul Islam Madani and one other.
On Tuesday, Mohammad Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain of the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal indicted them for spreading anti-state and provocative remarks and set March 30 for hearing prosecution witnesses.
Madani, now in jail, and the other accused Mahmudul Hasan Murtuza, out on bail, pleaded not guilty after the charges against them were read out in court.
On February 2, the same court accepted the charges filed by police.
On January 26, the same court indicted Madani in another case filed against him with Gaccha police station in Gazipur. The deposition of witnesses in that case is also set to be held on February 22.
Md Rezaul Karim, inspector of the Cyber and Special Crime Unit of Detective Branch of police and investigation officer of the case, on November 6 last year submitted the charge sheet in case to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
In February last year, Madani gave a speech at a religious congregation in Kamaleshwar, Gazipur Boardbazar disdaining the government.
RAB filed a digital security case with the Gazipur police over the incident, saying he hampered the religious values and sentiment of people, disseminated aggressive thoughts and threatened people wrongly which led to a worsening law and order situation.
The police detained him in Dhaka’s Motijheel during radical group Hifazat-e Islam’s violent protests on March 25 last year against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh. He was later released and not named in a case over the violence.