A Dhaka Court on Thursday set April 11 for delivering its verdict against journalist Probir Sikdar in a case filed under the Information and Communication Technology Act.
Judge Muhammad Ash-Shams Jaglul Hussein of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal rescheduled the date as the judge could not prepare the full verdict.
Public Prosecutor Md Nazrul Islam Shamim told Dhaka Tribune: “The court deferred the date of the delivery of the verdict as the judgment is not ready yet in the case”.
On March 22, the court had set Thursday for the verdict to be delivered after the argument hearing of both —prosecution and defence — concluded in the case.
Probir, 60, editor of a Bangla daily Bangla 71 and a news portal, was arrested on August 16, 2015 after Faridpur Awami League leader Swapan Kumar Paul filed the case over a Facebook post under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act-2006.
In August 2015, Probir wrote on Facebook that several gangs had been kept ready in Dhaka and Faridpur to “teach him a good lesson.” Two days later, he said three people and their supporters would be responsible if anything happened to him.
The three people he named were LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, business tycoon Moosa bin Shamsher and fugitive war crimes convict Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar.
On March 15, 2016, Kotwali police station Sub-Inspector Md Monir Hossain, who is also the investigation officer of the case, filed a charge sheet before Faridpur Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the accused.
On August 4, 2016, the court framed charges against Probir in a case filed with Kotwali Police Station in Faridpur.
