Journalist Kajol not shown arrested in DSA case yet

A virtual court today could not show photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol arrested in a case filed under the Digital Security Act as he was yet to be brought to Dhaka Central Jail from Jashore jail.

Earlier on June 14, Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim sent an email to the jail authorities scheduling a virtual hearing for today on the petition submitted for showing Kajol arrested in the case.

Central jail authorities, however, only informed the court today that Kajol was yet to brought from Jashore.

The magistrate fixed June 23 for a hearing on the petition and has directed jail authorities to bring Kajol before then.

Motlubur Rahman, an inspector of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and also the investigation officer in the case, submitted the application on May 4.

In response, Metropolitan Magistrate Baki Billah had asked jail authorities in Jashore to produce Kajol before it on June 1 when the court would decide on the appeal.

Due to ongoing shutdown of all regular courts across the country, Kajol could not be brought before the court on that date.

The case against Kajol was filed by Saifuzzaman Shikhor, a ruling party lawmaker from Magura-1, with Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Police Station on March 9.

Two more cases under the same act were subsequently filed against him on March 10 and March 11 with Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations respectively.

Meanwhile, another Dhaka court on June 28 will hear a petition on showing Kajol arrested in a case filed against him on March 10 with Hazaribagh Police Station.

Fifty-three days into his disappearance, Kajol was found by Border Guard Bangladesh in Benapole on May 3.

He was then arrested -- initially on charges of trespassing, but a was granted bail being produced before a Jashore court.

Later in the evening he was shown held under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after police informed the court that three more cases against Kajol were now pending with different police stations in the capital.

 The court then sent him to Jashore jail.

Section 54 of the CrPC stipulates that a person can be arrested without a warrant if there is "credible information" of his involvement with a "cognisable offence".