Judge upholds halt on trial of Prothom Alo editor in case over student death

The Supreme Court’s chamber judge has upheld the six-month halt the High Court issued on the trial proceedings against Matiur Rahman, the editor of the Prothom Alo, in a case over the death of Residential Model College student Nayeemul Abrar Rahat.

Justice Hasan Foez Sidduque dropped the case from Wednesday’s cause list and issued a “no order” on it, said Mostafizur Rahman Khan, the lawyer for Matiur.

“It means that the High Court’s stay order has been upheld,” Khan said.

The High Court panel of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan on Dec 13 issued the stay order along with a rule asking why the case against Matiur should not be scrapped.

Abrar was electrocuted during an event organised by Prothom Alo’s youth magazine Kishor Alo on the school campus in November 2019.

Investigators filed a report against 10 people, including Matiur, in a case filed by the father of Rahat.

Charges were later framed against nine people on Nov 12 this year but the court acquitted Kishor Alo Editor Anisul Hoque.

Later on Dec 6, Matiur's legal team appealed to the High Court to quash the case against him, arguing that there was nothing in the police report which pointed to his presence at the event or any involvement in conducting the programme.