Staff Reporter :
Barrister Mainul Hosein on Monday secured anticipatory bail for six weeks in the High Court in another defamation case filed in Kurigram court over hurling abuses at journalist Masuda Bhatti in a live television talk show.
The High Court Bench of Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order after hearing the bail petition filed by him.
The same High Court Bench on Sunday granted anticipatory bail for five months in two other defamation cases filed over the same ground.
Supreme Court Bar Association President Advocate Zainul Abedin, former SCBA President Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Barrister Moudud Ahmed and SCBA Secretary Barrister A M Mahbub Uddin Khokan defended Barrister Mainul Hosein, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood on behalf of the State.
During hearing, former Attorney General A F Hasan Arif, Advocate Nitay Roy Chowdhury, Advocate Waliur Rahman Khan, Barrister Hasan M S Azim, Barrister Raghib Rouf Chowdhury, Barrister A K M Ehsanur Rahman, Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan, Advocate Jahirul Islam Suman and a huge number of senior lawyers were present with Barrister Mainul Hosein at the High Court.
Advocate Maksuda Begum of Kurigram filed the case on Sunday. Chief Judicial Magistrate of Kurigram Hasan Mahmudul Islam summoned Barrister Mainul Hosein after taking the charges brought against him into cognizance.
During the bail order, the court said, “Everybody should be tolerant to others. Then, so many problems would not arise. When you do bad things to others, then you will be harmed.”
In the hearing, Advocate Zainul Abedin said, “A practice has been grown in our country that more than one case is being lodged in one ground. It should be stopped.”
Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain said, “As per rule, only aggrieved person can file a defamation case. In this ground, aggrieved person Masuda Bhatti filed a case and Barrister Mainul Hosein got bail in the case. Advocae Maksuda Begum has no jurisdiction to file a defamation case in this ground.”
Then Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, “By commenting a woman ‘characterless’, Barrister Mainul Hosein humiliated the whole woman society. He has lied the country in the international arena. So, a person of Kurigram district can be aggrieved by his comment and he/she can sue a case also.”
Attorney General opposed to grant bail to Barrister Mainul Hosein as the High Court was not the proper place to seek it. “Magistrate Court can deal with the case,” the AG said. Earlier on Sunday, a Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against Barrister Mainul Hosein after journalist Masuda Bhatti filed a defamation suit against him on Sunday for hurling abuses at her during a television talk show.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Asaduzzaman Noor of Dhaka CMM Court passed the order after taking the charges brought against him into cognizance.
Meanwhile, a Jamalpur court also issued arrest warrant against Barrister Mainul Hosein in a Tk 20,000-crore defamation case filed by a Jubo Mohila League leader.
Convener of Jamalpur Jubo Mohila League Farzana Yasmin Lita filed the case and a local court took cognizance it on Sunday. Our Jamalpur Correspondent reports quoting court sources, Senior Judicial Magistrate Soleiman Kabir took the case into cognizance.
Barrister Mainul Hosein, who is also the Chairman of the Editorial Board of The New Nation, apologised to Masuda over phone and explained his remarks in a statement.
Masuda, a women’s rights activist, demanded Mainul to apologize publicly for his remarks made in public. They also threatened him with legal action if he does not offer a public apology. As Mainul did not respond, Masuda started the case at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka.
