Grameenphone sues Jamuna TV, Daily Jugantor for libel

Grameenphone has moved a Dhaka court seeking billions in damages from Jamuna TV and vernacular Daily Jugantor for reports with ‘false’ information.

Hearing the cases on Monday, Dhaka’s First Joint District Judge Shahadat Hossain’s court issued ‘ad interim injunction’ on publishing news ‘against the operator’ by the television station and the newspaper, GP’s lawyer Tanjim Al Islam told bdnews24.com.

The term ‘ad interim’ means ‘for an intervening time or temporarily’.

The cases accuse the Jamuna TV and Jugantor of running ‘fabricated’ reports against Bangladesh’s largest mobile-phone operator from Sep 16, the lawyer told bdnews24.com.

Referring to the cases, he said the defendants used video footages without naming any source, including in a report on workers unrest.

“They used sweeping and one-sided information in reports against the plaintiff which is against the practice of journalism,” he added. 

Jamuna Group owns the Jamuna TV and Jugantor. The company’s Chairman Nurul Islam Babul’s wife and son were also made defendants in the cases. 

Babul’s son Jamuna TV Managing Director Shamim Islam, Chief News Editor Fahim Ahmed, reporters Seema Bhowmik and Masuduzzaman Robin have been named defendants in one case.

The other case names Babul’s wife Jugantor Publisher Salma Islam, MP, acting Editor Saiful Alam, Director SM Abdul Wadud, reporters Mujib Masud, Monir Hossain and Jamuna Printing Press as defendants.

GP’s counsel Tanjim said the court accepted their plea for the ‘ad interim injunction’ on publishing news ‘against Grameenphone’.   

It also asked the defendants to explain within seven days why a permanent injunction against them will not be issued.