Bashundhara boss sues Alo

Dhaka, Mar 4 (bdnews24.com)—Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan has filed a Tk 1000 crore defamation suit against Prothom Alo for two reports published on Oct 12 and 13 last year.

Sobhan also sought a permanent prohibition order from the court barring Prothom Alo, the country's leading Bangla-language daily, from publishing news against him or his organisation in the future.

He filed the case with a Dhaka district judge's court on Thursday against Transcom Group chairman and Prothom Alo owner Latifur Rahman, editor and publisher Matiur Rahman, reporter Mizanur Rahman Khan, cartoonist Shishir Bhattacharya.

The application of the plaintiff said that the accused on Oct 12 2009 published a report and a cartoon with malicious intent titled "State machinery out to protect Bashundhara". The Bashundhara chairman said the report contained defamatory statements about him and the company.

On the following day, Oct 13, the paper published another report titled "Chief justice mute about allegations of yellow journalism". Sobhan said the report defamed him and tarnished his image to everyone including family members and clients of the company.

The plaintiff also said he sent a legal notice to the accused on Nov 16 seeking an apology.

Judge SM Saiful Islam accepted the case and asked the accused to show cause within three weeks why the court should not issue the prohibition order.

The court set the next hearing to be Apr 15.

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