DSA case: Charge framing hearing against journo Kajol adjourned

A Dhaka tribunal today adjourned the hearing on charge framing against photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in a case filed with Hazaribagh Police Station under the Digital Security Act.

Kajol was charged with circulating indecent, defamatory, objectionable, and fake information about some ministers, lawmakers, and top Jubo Mahila League leaders on Facebook.

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Judge Mohammad Ash Sams Joglul Hossain of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal fixed October 20 as the next date after Kajol's lawyer submitted a petition seeking adjournment of the hearing.

After almost a 10-month long probe, Sub-inspector Mohammad Russell Mollah of Detective Branch of police, also the investigation officer of the case, on February 4 submitted the charge sheet with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

Usmin Ara Bally, a member of the central committee of Bangladesh Jubo Mahila League, filed the case with Hazaribagh Police Station on March 10 last year.

According to the charge sheet, Kajol published fake news on his Facebook page regarding the arrest and alleged crimes of expelled Jubo Mahila League leader Shamima Nur Papia.

Kajol was shown arrested in the case on May 14 last year. On June 28, he was placed on a two-day remand.

He faced 53 days of enforced disappearance and spent seven months in prison. He disappeared on March 10 last year and was "found" by the Border Guard Bangladesh roaming around the Benapole border 53 days later.

He, then, landed in jail for a case filed under the DSA by lawmaker Saifuzzaman Shikhor, and two Jubo Mahila League activists over a Facebook post.

The lower court concerned kept denying him bail for seven months, until the High Court on November 24 granted him bail in one case and ordered the investigation officer and Cyber Tribunal to submit reports in the two others.

Finally, on December 17, the HC granted him bail in two cases after Kajol's lawyer pointed out that the probes had to be concluded within 75 days of the filing of the cases, and the investigators failed to do so.

The investigators of two other cases filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Kamrangirchar Police stations under the same act had pressed charges against Kajol, and later, the tribunal accepted them.