Dhaka, May 4 (bdnews24.com) -- Journalists and employees of Jamuna Television have planned to take to the streets on Wednesday in protest against the alleged government intervention in the legal process that the private channel initiated challenging suspension of its test transmission.
"The government has kept the petition (filed by Jamuna authorities before the High Court) hanging for around seven months on various pleas," the channel's head of programme Supon Roy said.
Flanked by other senior journalists and employees, he alleged the attorney general and other state counsels are petitioning the court for more time and remaining absent from hearing only to prolong the case's timely disposal.
"Sometimes they seek time in a way so that the petition gets trapped in long vacation," he said.
Roy announced that they would form a human chain in Dhaka demanding prompt disposal of the petition.
Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (BTRC) had suspended test transmission of the TV channel, owned by Jamuna Group head Nurul Islam Babul, on Nov 19 last year, just 35 days after it had launched the test transmission, on the ground that the channel did not obtain the 'no-objection' certificate before going on air.
It had said Jamuna TV applied for a 'no-objection' certificate on Oct 8 last year, but started transmission illegally while the matter was under consideration.
Jamuna Group managing director Shamim Islam filed the petition following suspension of the transmission.
Roy told reporters that journalists and employees of the channel could not work amid the uncertainty over its transmission.
Jamuna TV had launched the test transmission on Oct 15 after long legal battles during BNP-led alliance and caretaker governments.
Earlier, Babul claimed that the channel secured a 'no objection' certificate on terrestrial and satellite transmission on Feb 5, 2002.
The channel's head of news Nazmul Ashraf, chief news editor Shakil Ahmed, transmission director Belal Aman and head of marketing Benu Sharma were also present.
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