Journo Kajol gets HC bail
The High Court yesterday granted bail to photojou-rnalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.
However, Kajol cannot be released from jail following the verdict as he is arrested in two other cases, his lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua told The Daily Star.
Yesterday, the bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman came up with the judgement after Kajol submitted a petition seeking bail in the case filed with Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
Following the same bail petition, the HC bench on October 19 issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government to explain why Kajol should not be granted bail in the case.
In the petition, Kajol said he is ill and the section of the law under which he has been implicated is not applicable to him as he did not defame anybody.
After hearing the petition, the HC bench yesterday granted permanent bail to Kajol.
The HC bench also asked the investigation officer of the cases lodged against Kajol with Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations whether he has taken permission from the Cyber Tribunal to probe the cases after 75 days of filing the cases.
The investigation officer and the Cyber Tribunal have been ordered to submit separate reports to the HC by December 15.
The HC bench passed the order after Kajol's lawyer Jyotirmoy told the court that the investigations of the two cases are illegal as the probes had to be concluded within 75 days of filing of the cases.
The investigation officer has not completed investigations of the cases in 75 days, which is a violation of the relevant provision of the law, Jyotirmoy argued.
Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state during the virtual hearing on the bail petition.
On August 24, Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka refused to grant bail to Kajol in the case filed under the Digital Security Act.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Dhiman Chandra Mondol rejected his bail petition in the case on June 24.
Two other cases under the Digital Security Act were filed against Kajol on March 10 and 11 with Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations.
Fifty-three days following his disappearance after leaving his office in the capital's Hatirpool, Kajol was found by Border Guard Bangladesh in Benapole on May 3.
He was then arrested, initially on charges of trespassing, but was granted bail after being produced before a Jashore court.
Later, he was shown held under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after police informed the court that three more cases against Kajol were pending with different police stations in the capital.
The court then sent him to Jashore jail.
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