Staff Reporter :
Barrister Mainul Hosein, former Adviser of the Caretaker Government, was sent to jail in a defamation case filed with Rangpur Court on Tuesday.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Dhaka Md Kaisarul Islam passed the order rejecting Mainul Hosein’s bail plea after hearing.
After the court order, police sent him to the Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj, sources said.
After the bail was rejected, the pro-BNP lawyers began to chant slogans on the court premises.
Detectives produced Mainul Hosein in the court around 1:00 pm yesterday. He was arrested on Monday night in connection with a defamation lawsuit filed in Rangpur.
During hearing, Mainul Hosein’s lawyer Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain said, “It is a bailable case in which he has been arrested. As per laws and according to the rules of the Higher Judiciary, an accused can get bail if he is arrested in a case which is bailable. He deserves bail in the case. So, we are praying for his bail.”
After Khandker Mahbub Hossain’s submission, Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder, Advocate Golam Mostofa Khan, Advocate Sanaullah Mia and Advocate Nuruzzaman Tapon argued for Mainul Hossain’s bail. The Chief Prosecutor of Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Abdullah Abu placed his submission opposing the bail plea of Mainul Hosein. He said, “Mainul Hosein insulted a woman journalist. He called her ‘characterless’. This is a serious crime. Though the case, under which it was sued, is bailable, granting bail to him is totally court’s jurisdiction.”
Another Prosecutor Kazi Najibullah Hiru said, “Mainul Hosein insulted our women society. A sentiment has grown across the country against him.”
After his submission the court passed order.
After the court’s order, Khandker Mahbub Hossain said, “This case is bailable. The bail is rejected according to the will of the government, we think. There is no other reason behind rejecting the bail.”
Prosecutor Abdullah Abu said, “The case was filed in Rangpur. Documents of the case are there. So, he has to file bail petition in Rangpur. We said this in our submission and the court rejected the bail petition.”
Khandker Mahbub Hossain said, “As per rule, Mainul Hosein deserves division in the jail. But he was not given division yet by the jail authorities. We will, however, seek division facilities for him as soon as possible.”
A team of Detective Branch (DB) of police on Monday night detained former Adviser of Caretaker Government Barrister Mainul Hosein in a defamation case filed in Rangpur from the residence of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President A S M Abdur Rab in city’s Uttara area.
Then he was taken to the DB office on the Minto Road from Rab’s House No 14, Uttara, Sector-3.
A woman, Mili Maya Begum, on Monday filed the defamation case in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Rangpur against Mainul Hosein on charge of passing ‘malicious comment’ about women on a television talk show.
Judge Arifa Yasmin Mukta issued arrest warrant against him after taking the charge into cognizance.
On October 16, Mainul Hosein was connected to a talk show programme, ‘Ekattorer Journal’, through a video conference aired on a private TV channel, Ekattor TV, hosted by Mithila Farzana, and made an ‘offensive comments’ against Masuda Bhatti.
During the talk show, Masuda Bhatti told Mainul Hosein, “You say that you are with the Jatiya Oikya Front as a citizen of the country, but in social networking sites, many people are saying that you are there as a representative of Jamaat-e-Islami.”
Angered by the comment, Mainul Hosein said, “I’m thanking you for your audacity and I want to believe you as ‘characterless’. There’s no question about Jamaat link’s with me and what question you have asked is embarrassing for me.”
After such comments, there was a storm of criticism in the social media. Then various individuals and organizations gave statements asking Mainul Hosein to apologize publicly. Even the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticized Mainul Hosein in response to the questions of the journalist in a press conference held on Monday afternoon.
In the meantime, a lawyer sent a legal notice to the journalist Masuda Bhatti seeking apology from her. The notice said, “Masuda Bhatti put an objectionable question to Barrister Mainul Hosein with the reference of social media. But she did not have any document.”
“Masuda claimed, Barrister Mainul Hosein joined Oikya Front rallies as a representative of Jamaat, which had no real basis. So, she is asked to apologize publicly within 24 hours for her intentional question to renowned lawyer Barrister Mainul Hosein. Otherwise she will be sued in the concern court,” read the legal notice.
Maniul is now facing at least seven cases across the country. He got an anticipatory bail on Sunday in two defamation cases filed in Dhaka and Jamalpur and on Monday in one case filed in Kurigram Court.
Masuda Bhatti filed a defamation case against Mainul Hosein on October 21. The same day cases were filed in Jamalpur, Cumilla, Kurigram and on October 22 cases were filed in Bhola, Rangpur and Brahmanbaria over the same issue.
Sources said, filing of cases against him continues in different parts of the country.
