A Dhaka tribunal today ordered Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit for further investigation into the case filed against cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, writer Mushtaq Ahmed, Rashtrochinta activist Didarul Islam Bhuiyan and eight others under the Digital Security Act.

Judge Ash Sams Joglul Hossain of the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal passed the order after the prosecution submitted a petition seeking further investigation into the case.

The tribunal directed CTTC to submit a probe report to it by March 23.

In the petition, Public Prosecutor Nazrul Islam Shamim said if further investigation is conducted, correct names and addresses will be unearthed.

On February 4, Sub-inspector Md Mohsin Sardar of Ramna Police Station, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against three accused and dropped names of eight other accused in the case.

The IO pressed charges against Kishore, Mushtaq and Didarul over running propaganda against the government and the state.

The IO dropped the names of eight accused as he did not find their correct names and addresses.

The eight are: Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist Tasneem Khalil who runs Netra News; US-based journalist Shahed Alam; Germany-based blogger Asif Mohiuddin; Minhaj Mannan Emon, managing director of BLE securities and shareholder-director of Dhaka Stock Exchange; expatriate Zulkarnain Saer Khan; Ashik Imran; Shapan Wahed; and Philip Schuhmacher.

Rab unit's Assistant Director Abu Bakar Siddique on May 6 last year filed the case against a total of 11 people.

Kishore and Mushtaque have been behind bars for nine months, while Minhaj and Didarul were granted bail by court in September last year.

Kishore and Mushtaq's bail petitions were rejected six times, said their lawyers.