The High Court has ordered daily Prothom Alo’s Editor Matiur Rahman and Joint Editor Mizanur Rahman Khan to re-submit their explanations on charges of contempt of court.
It also ordered the editor to appear before the court and ascertain that it was his own affidavit.
The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed gave the order on Monday on the third day of the hearing on a contempt rule against the two.
The court asked them to re-submit their explanations citing ‘procedural’ errors and ordered the editor to appear before the court since there were ‘doubts’ over the affidavit he submitted.
“Both of the affidavits seem to be identical. We have doubts whether he (Rahman) has submitted it after understanding the whole thing. We want to hear it from him,” the court said.
It ordered Rahman to appear before the court on Tuesday.
On Monday, their lawyer Shahdin Malik submitted the affidavits to the High Court. Khan was present at the court then.
The Bengali daily’s Joint Editor Mizanur Rahman Khan wrote two recent articles titled, “One anticipatory bail per minute, how?” and “Six to eight weeks of freedom”.
He looked at the bails granted by the Supreme Court.
He also commented that the separation of the judiciary ‘has fallen on its face’.
On Mar2, the High Court issued a suo moto rule that the articles amounted to contempt of court and summoned Khan. It also sought explanations from him and the newspaper’s editor.
Source: Bd news24