Hearing on charge framing against photojournalist Kajol in DSA case Nov 8

A Dhaka tribunal today set November 8 for hearing on charge framing against photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in three cases filed under the Digital Security Act.

Judge (in-charge) Md Iqbal Hossain of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal passed the order as the judge concerned is on leave, court sources said.

Kajol was charged in the cases for circulating indecent, defamatory, objectionable, and fake information about some ministers, lawmakers, and top Jubo Mohila League leaders on Facebook.

Earlier, Awami League Lawmaker (Magura-1) Saifuzzaman Shikhor, Jubo Mohila League's central committee members Usmin Ara Bally and Sumaiya Chowdhury Bonya also filed three separate cases with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations under DSA on March 9, 10 and 11 last year.

Investigation Officer Mohammad Russell Mollah, also a Sub-Inspector of Detective Branch of police, submitted three charge sheets of the cases to Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on April 8, February 4 and March 14 this year.

Photojournalist Kajol went missing on March 10 last year. The Border Guard Bangladesh found him around the Benapole border area on May 3 and detained him. He was sent to jail by a Jashore court the same day under section 54 of the Code of the Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Later, he was shown arrested in the cases filed.

The lower court denied him bail for seven months until the High Court on November 24 granted him bail in one of the cases. The HC on December 17 granted him bail in two other cases after Kajol's lawyer argued that probes had to be completed within 75 days of filing of the cases, and the investigators failed to do so.

The photojournalist walked out of jail on December 25.