‘What’s going on in name of journalism?’
The High Court has expressed dissatisfaction at the state of journalism.
"A person named Helena Jahangir reportedly operated an IPTV channel. How many channels have been opened in the name of IPTV? What is going on in the name of journalism?" the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim said yesterday.
Helena Jahangir, a businessperson turned politician, has been arrested and sued recently over her controversial activities. She was sacked from the Awami League subcommittee on women affairs.
Yesterday, the HC expressed discontent during the hearing of a case on publishing false reports by some newspapers, including the Dainik Purbokone, a Bangla daily in Chattogram, on its order regarding the transfer of Md Sharif Uddin, a deputy assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, from the district.
The HC bench ordered those newspapers, which ran false reports, to publish rejoinders along with corrections, and fixed August 5 for delivering an order on the issue.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan was asked to communicate the orders to the newspapers.
During the proceedings, the lawyer told the HC that the Dainik Purbokone published a rejoinder yesterday and apologized.
On Monday, the HC bench disclosed the incident of fraud in its order regarding transfer of Sharif Uddin and also ordered the ACC to conduct a probe into it.
Sharif Uddin, who had reportedly been conducting investigations into corruption allegations in different offices and hospitals and against some influential people in the district, was transferred on June 16.
The HC bench led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman on June 30 summarily rejected a writ petition that sought stay on the transfer of Sharif Uddin. One Fozle Azim Mohammad Sibgatullah had filed the writ petition.
But a lawyer named Md Mazharul Haque has issued an advocate-certificate saying that the HC bench of Justice Enayetur Rahim on July 29 stayed the transfer (of Sharif Uddin) and directed the authorities concerned to allow him to continue in the office for next two weeks.
Based on the lawyer-certificate issued by Md Mazharul Haque, the Dainik Purbokone and a few other newspapers published reports on this issue.
On Monday, the HC bench found that another writ petition was moved before it seeking similar order so that Sharif Uddin's transfer order is halted.
Md Shahidul Islam Liton, claiming himself a human rights activist in Cox's Bazar, filed the writ petition.
Examining the petition, Justice Enayetur said his bench on June 30 rejected a similar writ petition, but a report was published in the Dainik Purbokone on July 31 saying that the bench on July 29 stayed the transfer of the ACC official, which is totally false.
No lawyer named Md Mazharul Haque could be found on the members' list of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Deputy attorney generals Samarendranath Biswas and Bipul Bagmar represented the state during the virtual proceedings.
Contacted, petitioner's lawyer Ashanur Rahman and the deputy attorney generals said they didn't know Md Mazharul Haque as a lawyer of the Supreme Court.
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