Journalist sent to jail in extortion case under ICT, pornography control acts

A Dhaka court has sent Daily Jugantor Economic Editor Helal Uddin to jail in a case under pornography control and ICT acts.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Qamrul Hossain Molla rejected his bail plea on Thursday and issued the order on sending him to jail.

Helal surrendered to the court and petitioned for bail following a High Court order in a case started by former customs commissioner (VAT) M Hafizur Rahman.

Babul Biswas, the lawyer for the plaintiff, said Hafizur alleged Helal cut and pasted one Sushmita Golam's obscene photo with Hafizur's photo and threatened to publish

the photo if he did not pay Tk 20 million.

Hafizur started the case at Bhatara Police Station against Helal and Sushmita under the ICT Act in January 2015.

The Criminal Investigation Department of police investigated the case and mentioned in the report that it found no evidence to back Hafizur's allegation.

The Police Bureau of Investigation was given the charge of the case after the plaintiff objected to the CID report.

In December last year, PBI submitted separate chargesheets in the case - one under the ICT Act and the other under Pornography Control Act.

State's additional counsel Tapas Paul told bdnews24.com that the judge was 'angry' with Helal because he secured anticipatory bail from the High Court by 'concealing information'.

Lawyer Nazibullah Hiru stood for Helal at the hearing.

Sushmita is out on bail from the High Court.