Rangamati journo Fazle Elahi granted permanent bail in DSA case

A Chittagong court has granted permanent bail to journalist Fazle Elahi in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).

Chittagong Cyber Tribunal Judge Mohammad Zahirul Kabir passed the order on Tuesday.

Fazle Elahi's lawyers Nazrul Islam and Mohammad Fazle Azim Shaon said: "We applied for permanent bail in the cyber tribunal court. The court was satisfied with our application and granted him bail.”

On June 7, Rangamati Kotwali police arrested journalist Fazle Elahi. The next day, Rangamati Senior Judicial Magistrate Fatema Begum Muktar granted bail for seven days on condition that she appear before the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal.

Fazle Elahi is the Rangamati district correspondent of national daily Kalerkontha, online media outlet bdnews24.com, The Business Standard and private television channel NTV. 

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Moreover, he is also the editor of local Daily Parbotto Chattogram and Pahar.24.com. 

According to sources two complaints were filed against Elahi over the publication of a 2021 report against former lawmaker Feroza Begum Chinu and her daughter Naznin Anwar. 

However, a court dismissed the complaints due to lack of proof. 

Later, Naznin filed a case under the DSA with Chittagong Cyber Tribunal following which he was arrested on Tuesday. 

His arrest drew flak from several quarters, with the Pahar24.com Executive Editor Hefazat Ul Bari Sabuj saying that this is a blatant misuse of the draconian law to reign in media freedom.