Rangpur Bureau :
A Rangpur Court on Sunday rejected a bail petition filed by Barrister Mainul Hosein, former Adviser to the Caretaker Government, in a defamation case filed with the Court.
Judge Arifa Yasmin Mukta, a judge of Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Rangpur, passed the order after hearing the bail petition filed by Barrister Mainul.
The court, however, fixed November 22 for further hearing on the case.
Barrister Mainul Hosein took part in the hearing himself along with a group of lawyers including Advocate Masud Rana, Advocate Mahbubur Rahman Dulal, Advocate Ekramul Hoq, Advocate Shafi Kamal, Advocate Sultana Fency, Advocate Sayem Sarker and Advocate Khandoker Rafiq Hossain.
When the magistrate asked for submission, Barrister Mainul Hosein submitted that the defamation is a person-to-person case and nothing to do with the state.
In this case, she (Masuda Bhatti) challenged my patriotism by calling me an agent of Jamaat. I called her characterless in a journalistic sense. Even on the following day, I expressed regret and apology to her because of my own sense of decency.
He mentioned that the eminent woman writer Taslima Nasreen called her from her experience with her (Masuda Bhatti) worlds worst characterless but that did not defame her.
During the hearing, Barrister Mainul also briefed the court about the attack on him. He sought justice from the court over the attack. He also said to the court that he was attacked during entering the court premises. Later Barrister Mainul’s lawyers said to the journalists that the court heard Barrister Mainul’s statement about the attack on him, but the court did not pass any order on the matter.
Around 12.00 noon, Barrister Mainul Hosein, who is charged in a harassment case over a comment made on TV, was brought to the court in a prison vehicle.
UNB adds: Barrister Mainul Hosein was assaulted allegedly by some leaders and activists of Awami League while he was being produced before the Rangpur Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Sunday.
Witnesses said there was a clash between Awami League and BNP activists on the court premises which left 10 people injured.
DB Assistant Commissioner Altaf Hossain said a group of leaders and activists of local unit Awami League tried to attack Mainul Hosein when he was being produced before the court.
At one stage, local BNP leaders and activists appeared there as some party leaders were also being produced before the court in separate cases.
A scuffle took place between the AL and BNP men, triggering a chase-and-counter chase on the court premises.
Later, police lobbed tear gas shells and fired bullets to disperse them, leaving 10 people injured.
On October 22, Judge Arifa Yasmin Mukta of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Ragpur issued a warrant for Mainul’s arrest after a local human rights activist, Mili Maya, filed a defamation case with it.
According to the case statement filed by Masuda Bhatti, Mainul who was connected to a talk show programme, ‘Ekattorer Journal’, through a videoconference aired on a private TV channel, Ekattor TV, hosted by Mithila Farzana, made an ‘offensive comments’ against her on October 16.
