Amar Desh served with 2nd legal notice
The editor, publisher and a reporter of daily Amar Desh were served with another legal notice for not begging unconditional public apology and publishing the full rejoinder to a false, malicious and defamatory report about The Daily Star, daily Prothom Alo and Transcom Group.
The notice issued by Dr Kamal Hossain and Associates asked Amar Desh Editor Ataus Samad, Publisher Hasmot Ali and the correspondent concerned to immediately withdraw the report published on September 3, beg unconditional public apology and publish the full rejoinder sent to them earlier.
"In default, we have instructions to institute appropriate legal proceedings against you for defamation, in which event you will be liable for the costs and consequences thereof," the notice said.
The same demands were made in the first legal notice served on the three on September 7.
The second notice was served on September 17 on behalf of Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, The Daily Star Editor-Publisher Mahfuz Anam and Transcom Group Chairman and Managing Director Latifur Rahman.
In the notice, jurist Dr Kamal Hossain said, "Following the legal notice sent on behalf of our clients on September 7, to which you are yet to reply, we have been instructed by our clients to write you that you have published an editor's note on September 12, 2008, which makes reference to our legal notice and states that you have published a large part of our rejoinder, especially those that relate to your story, it was not the intention of Amar Desh to defame or harm anybody, your intention was to point out another example of trying to depict Bangladesh as an outpost of ULFA, since you have come to know that Matiur Rahman, Mahfuz Anam and Latifur Rahman have seriously reacted to your report, you are expressing your sincerest regret, and since you have been served with a legal notice, you would reply through your legal counsel to that legal notice."
In the editor's note, the Amar Desh editor, publisher and the correspondent stated that a formal reply to the legal notice would be sent through their lawyer, he said. "Till September 17, neither our clients nor we have received any reply," he added.
"We would like to point out that what you have published on September 12, 2008, does not meet the demands set out in our notice, calling for withdrawing in full the published report by your correspondent and extending unconditional apology to our clients for having published the said false, highly defamatory and scurrilous report by your correspondent," the notice said.
"We point out that in the editor's note you have not extended an unconditional apology for publishing the said false and defamatory report but expressed regret for hurting 'the feelings of our clients'. Personal feelings of our clients are not the issue. The issue is of demanding the reputation and public standing of our clients which have not been addressed in the said editor's note."
The jurist said, "Your claim in the editor's note that your only intention behind publishing the report was to present another example of attempts of depicting Bangladesh as an ULFA outpost, is belied by the reply your correspondent gave while publishing our reply. In that reply further issues, not contained in the original report, were added making clear your intention to defame our clients."
Dr Kamal Hossain said his clients are unable to accept the editor's note. He reiterated his clients' demands for immediate compliance with the demands for withdrawal of the full report and seeking unconditional apology from his clients for publishing such a false, defamatory and scurrilous report.
Comments