Editors of the country’s leading dailies have urged the chief justice to intervene and take necessary steps to ease the situation as attempts have been made to force the newspapers and the judiciary to assume confronting positions.
In a statement on Monday, editors of several Bangla and English-language dailies termed the attempts as harmful for the freedom of press and the reputation of the judiciary.
Acknowledging the role of the judiciary in developing democracy in the country, they also pointed out that freedom of press was also essential for upholding democracy.
The editors mentioned the example of an observation made by the Appellate Division comprising then Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman and Justice ATM Afzal. In the 1993 case of Salim Ullah versus the state, the court stated that freedom of press was recognised in the country’s constitution, and the court must accept any constructive criticism made against it [source: 44 DLR (AD) (1992) 309].
The editors also said the media believed that the Supreme Court as guardians of the constitution would be active in upholding section 39 (2) (b) of the constitution, which ensures freedom of press.
Expressing concerns, the editors pointed out to a recent ruling that asked why contempt of court charges should not be brought against the editor and joint editor of daily Prothom Alo for publishing a post-editorial. On Sunday, contempt of court rulings were issued against two dailies - Samakal and Naya Diganta - for publishing reports regarding the court proceedings, while the president and general secretary of Dhaka Reporters Unity – which issued a press release in this regard – were also directed to appear before the court on Wednesday.
The editors observed that several senior lawyers slammed the media by raising false allegations against journalists during the hearing of the contempt petition at the High Court. They urged the lawyers to refrain from making provocative and confusing statements.
“We believe that the role of the judiciary is important for flourishing democracy in this country. The journalist community is conscious about that. The media of Bangladesh believe in the independence of judiciary. At the same time freedom of media is also essential for democracy. Media is determined to uphold that freedom,” the statement said.
