A Dhaka court yesterday discharged former editor of the daily Jugantor, its publisher and the chairman of Jamuna Group from a defamation case filed in 2003.
The three are Golam Sarwar, then editor of the newspaper and now the Samakal editor, publisher Salma Islam and Chairman of Jamuna Group Nurul Islam Babul.
The accused and the plaintiff were present before the court during the hearing.
Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Alamgir Kabir Raj passed the order.
In the order, the court said petitioner Mirza Abbas, then housing and public works minister, did not mention the source nor quoted anyone regarding the defamatory statement.
BNP leader Mirza Abbas also did not file any complaint with the Press Council while as per section 500 of the Penal Code, the accusation is unacceptable.
The case was filed on November 2, 2003 with the Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.
The plaintiff mentioned that the daily had published two news items – on October 9, 2003 under the title “Prime minister reproaches public works minister” and on October 30 the same year on transport sector extortion by an organisation patronised by a minister.
