A writ petition has been filed in the High Court seeking a ban on the Indian television channel “Republic Bangla” and its content within Bangladesh's territory.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan submitted the petition on Monday.
The writ names several government officials and entities as respondents, including the secretaries of the ministries of information and broadcasting, posts and telecommunications, foreign affairs, home affairs, and ICT, as well as the chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
According to the writ, Republic Bangla, an Indian satellite television channel, disseminates its content through platforms like YouTube and Facebook.
The petition claims the channel is involved in broadcasting propaganda against Bangladesh, spreading false information to destabilize law and order, engaging in a "criminal conspiracy" to separate Chittagong Division from Bangladesh and merge it with India, and inciting Hindu-Muslim communal tensions in Bangladesh.
The petition describes these actions as "media aggression" and alleges that the channel poses a threat to Bangladesh’s national security and public safety.
The petitioner urged the government to take legal action against Republic Bangla, and ban and block all its news and content on social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.
The filing follows a previously issued legal notice on the matter.
The petitioner stated that the writ was submitted as no action was taken in response to the notice.
The High Court is expected to hear the matter in due course.
