The High Court has granted a four-week anticipatory bail to Daily Manabzamin Khulna correspondent Rashidul Islam, in a case filed under the Digital Security Case.
The bench of Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim on Monday issued the order after hearing Rashidul’s bail petition.
Senior lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain and Advocate M Masud Rana represented the journalist during the hearing, while Deputy Attorney General Rafi Ahmed stood for the state.
Rashidul is also president of the Khulna unit of the National Newspaper Reporters Forum and newly elected vice-president of the Khulna Press Club.
The case was filed with Batiaghata police station on December 31 by Batiaghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer Debashish Chowdhury, who had served as the assistant returning officer in Khulna during the 11th general election, held on December 30.
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The Dhaka Tribune’s Khulna correspondent, Hedait Hossain Molla, and Rashidul were accused in the case for reporting “untrue” information regarding the election results of Khulna 1 constituency.
In the case’s first information report, Debashish wrote that despite 80% voter turnout in Khulna 1 (Dacope-Batighata), the journalists had reported that 22,419 more votes were cast than the actual number of total voters in the constituency during the December 30 polls.
Debashish, in the case statement, claimed the content of their reports was “untrue.”
On January 1police arrested Hedait, who is also the Khulna correspondent for the Bangla Tribune and city editor of Khulna-based Daily Probaho. He was put on remand the next day.
On January 3, a Khulna court granted him interim bail until January 14. The same court on January 14 extended Hedait's bail till January 29.
