The High Court has rejected a petition by photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol to scrap the charges brought against him in three digital security cases.
The bench of Justice ASM Abdul Mobin and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim on Tuesday turned his plea following a virtual hearing.
On March 9, 2020, Awami League lawmaker from the Magura 1 constituency Saifuzzaman Shikhor filed a case against Kajol and 31 others, including Daily Manab Zamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, on charges of publishing a report with false information regarding expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Noor Papia — who had been arrested in February on charges of smuggling counterfeit notes and sentenced to jail in October in an arms case — and circulating it on social media.
Kajol, who had previously worked as a photojournalist at national dailies such as Daily Samakal and Daily Bonik Barta, is the editor of the fortnightly magazine Pokkhokal.
Two more cases were also filed against him under the same act with Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations in Dhaka on March 10 and 11, respectively.
On March 10, Kajol went missing after leaving his office. After a 53-day disappearance, he turned up in police custody on May 3 after the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested him on charges of trespassing at Benapole border in Jessore.
The charges of trespassing were dropped but he was formally arrested in the digital security cases and sent to jail. After almost spending behind the bars for eight months, he was released on bail in December 2020.
