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Published : 10 Dec 2025, 09:00 PM
Samakal Senior Reporter Abu Saleh Rony has received the “Media Award on Judicial Independence 2025” for his investigative reporting on judicial independence and reform.
The ceremony of the awards, jointly organised by the National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was held on Wednesday at the NIMCO auditorium in Darus Salam, Dhaka.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mahbuba Farzana handed over the awards to the winners, according to a media statement.
The statement said 10 journalists were recognised in the first-ever edition of the competition -- five from the print and online category and five from television and radio.
Each awardee received a certificate and Tk 25,000 in prize money.
As per the press note, Rony was honoured for his five-part series “Crisis in the Judiciary”, published in Samakal between Oct 17 and Oct 21 last year.
The series highlighted long-standing challenges within the judiciary, including allegations of executive interference, corruption, backlog of cases, budget constraints and implementation barriers in reform projects.
Alongside expert opinions and data-led analysis, the reports explored structural and systemic issues contributing to these challenges, the statement said.
With more than 15 years of experience in journalism, Rony has previously received the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) Best Reporting Award twelve times, the Bazlur Rahman Memorial Award twice for reporting on the Liberation War, and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Journalism Award.
He has also earned several other recognitions for his reporting on law and justice, women and children’s rights, corruption, culture, and public interest issues, it added.
Others who addressed the event included Editor of Samakal and jury board member Shahed Muhammad Ali, Supreme Court Registrar (District Judge) Mohammad Moazzem Hossain, Associate Professor Saiful Alam Chowdhury of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, and UNDP Head of Communications Md Abdul Kaiyum.
The programme was presided over by NIMCO Director General Muhammad Hiruzzaman, while the introductory remarks were delivered by Moseammat Rahima Akter, director (Administration and Development) of the institute.
The event also featured a display of award-winning reports, the launch of a guideline on judicial reporting, and a photo session, the statement said.
