Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday stayed for six months the sentence of Kurigram journalist Ariful Islam who was convicted by a mobile court for one-year imprisonment after the law enforcers led by a magistrate had picked him up from his home in the town.
The court also asked the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kurigram Sadar Police Station to accept the allegation of journalist Ariful Islam, against former deputy commissioner of Kurigram, Sultana Parveen, former RDC Nazim Uddin, former assistant commissioner SM Rahatul Islam and former mobile court operator Rintu Bikash Chakma and others, as an FIR.
The High Court Bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir passed the order and issued a rule after holding hearing on a writ petition filed by Ariful Islam challenging the legality of the conviction issued by the mobile court.
In the rule, the court wanted to know from the respondents as to why the sentence given to journalist Ariful Islam and the entire proceedings conducted against him should not be declared without lawful authority.
Earlier, in the yesterday morning Ariful Islam appeared in the court responding with an order of the court. Then the court suggested for filing a writ petition.
Following a public interest litigation filed by Harun Ur Rashid, Executive Editor of Online news portal Bangla Tribune, the High Court on March 16 this year sought all the records of the case filed against Kurigram journalist Ariful Islam.
The state counsel had been asked to submit the documents on March 23, 2020. The counsel has also been asked to inform the court about the steps taken by the Public Administration Ministry in this regard by the same time.
Advocate AM Amin Uddin and Advocate Ishrat Hasan appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioner, While Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Pratiker Chakma stood for the state.
Ariful Islam, Kurigram District Correspondent for Dhaka Tribune and Bangla Tribune, was sent to jail early Saturday, soon after the mobile court, set up at the Kurigram DC’s office, ended the trial proceedings and jailed him for one-year imprisonment.
