A Dhaka court yesterday issued summons against recently force-retired information secretary ATM Fazlul Karim to appear before it by July 27 in a defamation case filed for writing verses criticising Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family.
The same court yesterday dismissed a sedition case, filed by Awami League (AL) leader CS Alam, against Fazlul Karim alias Abu Karim saying the complainant did not have prior approval from the government.
After scrutinising the docket and other relevant documents, Metropolitan Magistrate Kanika Biswas decreed the accused to appear before the court.
Advocate Omar Faruque filed the defamation case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court against Abu Karim and Sayeed Bari, proprietor of the Suchipatra Prokashana on February 24.
After the hearing on February 24, Metropolitan Magistrate recorded statements of both the complainants and fixed yesterday for the order on the cases.
In his complaint, advocate Omar mentioned that the accused had written a poem entitled 'Baganey Phutey Achhey Onek Golap' in February 2006 and Shuchipatra Prokashana published his collection of poems in Ekushey Boi Mela, 2008.
The complainant came to know about the publisher from an excerpt of the book published in the daily 'Amader Shomoy' on February 20, said the complaint.
The daily quoted different lines from the verses where the accused claimed that only 30,000 people were killed during the Liberation War but the number had been exaggerated to 30 lakh.
In the book, the accused referred Bangabandhu as Latifur Rahman and also called him 'Alubokhara' (plum), Sheikh Kamal as Kamalakoli, Sheikh Jamal as Jamtoli and Sheikh Russel as Roskoli, the complainant said.
Such defamatory writings have damaged and undermined the image of Bangabandhu, his family members, Bangladesh Awami League and its front organisations, the complaint included.
The same court on March 2 issued an arrest warrant against Abu Karim on the same charges filed by another AL leader on February 22.