Four bloggers’ cases on hold

The High Court has suspended the proceedings of the two cases filed against four bloggers under the ICT Act allegedly for inflammatory postings hurting religious sensitivities.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Ullah on Sunday suspended the cases for three months.

Bloggers Subrata Adhikari Shuvo, Mashiur Rahman Biplob and Rasel Parvez are accused in one of the cases, and Asif Mohiuddin is charged in the other.

The court has also asked the government to explain within three weeks why those cases will not be scrapped.

Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua argued the case for the bloggers at the hearing. Additional Attorney General Mumtaz Uddin and Assistant Attorney General Gazi Md Mamunur Rashid were present as state counsels.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Jahurul Haque framed the charges in the two cases on Sep 8 last year.

These were the first cases filed under the ICT Act since its amendment. A guilty finding may get them seven to 14 years in prison.

Following demands made by Chittagong-based radical group Hifazat-e-Islam of capital punishment of ‘atheist bloggers’, detective police arrested Shuvo, Biplob and Parvez on April 1 last year. Asif was arrested on April 3.

On April 7, police pressed charges them under the Information and Communication Technology Act. All four were interrogated. Rasel and Shuvo got bail on May 12, Biplob on June 2 and Asifon June 27.