The High Court has rejected a writ petition filed seeking the court’s directives to revoke Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act.
The bench of Justice Quazi Rezaul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman passed the order on Sunday afternoon.
Supreme Court lawyer Yunus Ali Akhand filed the petition on August 27.
Also Read: Petition, legal notice seek revoking section 57
Deputy Attorney General Taposh Kumar Biswas told the Dhaka Tribune that the court rejected the petition terming it as immature and mentioning that the government is considering steps regarding the act.
Debate over Section 57 and demands for its cancellation began since the formulation of the Act. But the controversy intensified when veteran journalist and war crimes trial campaigner Probir Sikdar was arrested and sent to jail as he posted a status on Facebook, expressing fear that his life was in danger because of some influential persons.
Read More: We need to stop using ICT Act to suppress journalism
The law minister, Anisul Huq, recently said that the government would consider revising the section as many people raised questions against it. Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta, also the chairman of the parliamentary watchdog on the Law Ministry, too advocated for its cancellation.
The ICT Act was passed in 2006 and amended twice – in 2009 and 2013. In the latest amendment, offences under Section 57 were made non-bailable and the maximum punishment was extended to 14 years’ imprisonment. Offenders can be punished by minimum seven years imprisonment and the fine can be as high as Tk1 crore under the Act.
The provision says: “If any person deliberately publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the website or in any other electronic form any material which is false and obscene and if anyone sees, hears or reads it having regard to all relevant circumstances, its effect is such as to influence the reader to become dishonest or corrupt, or causes to deteriorate or creates possibility to deteriorate law and order, prejudice the image of the state or person or causes to hurt or may hurt religious belief or instigate against any person or organisation, then this activity will be regarded as an offence.”
