The standover order means that her bail in the two cases will remain suspended for several months.
Published : 10 Jul 2023, 01:53 PM
The Appellate Division has issued a "standover" order suspending the bail of Jagannath University student Khadijatul Kubra for another four months in two cases under the Digital Security Act.
An appellate bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique made the decision on Monday. Advocate BM Elias Kachee and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented Khadija at the hearing.
During the hearing, Khadija’s lawyers argued that she was not responsible for the views of guests who featured in videos on her YouTube channel.
The Appellate Division responded that, as a first-year honours student, Khadija should be able to take responsibility for the views expressed on her talk show.
Assistant Attorney General Saiful Alam represented the state.
On 16th February, the High Court granted bail to Khadija in two Digital Security Act cases. The state then petitioned for the bail to be stayed.
Police filed two cases against Khadija and retired Maj Delowar Hossain in October 2020 for spreading anti-government propaganda and damaging the reputation of Bangladesh at the Kalabagan and New Market Police Stations.
The two cases, filed a week apart, made similar allegations.
Police arrested Khadija on 17th September. She has been in jail since then.
The case documents claim that Khadija and Delowar engaged in a conspiracy to spread false, fabricated, and defamatory propaganda against the prime minister, several government agencies, and important state officials, aiming to overthrow the country’s legitimate government. It said that they were attempting to destroy communal harmony by sowing enmity, hatred, and division among different communities through their conspiracy.
According to her lawyers, Khadija was 17 when the Digital Security Act cases were filed in 2020, but she was charged as an adult. Despite suffering from kidney issues, Khadija’s bail pleas were rejected by a Dhaka court several times.