The High Court on Sunday stayed for six months the trial proceedings against Prothom Alo editor and publisher Matiur Rahman in a case filed over the death of Dhaka Residential Model College student Naimul Abrar Rahat.
The court also issued a rule asking the State to explain in four weeks as to why the case proceedings against Matiur Rahman should not be scrapped.
The HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Md Atoar Rahman came up with the order and a ruling following a petition filed by Matiur Rahman seeking cancellation of the trial proceedings against him in the case.
Lawyers Rokanuddin Mahmud and Mustafizur
Rahman Khan appeared for Matiur Rahman, while Deputy Attorney General Saifuddin Khaled represented the state during virtual hearing of the petition.
After the court order, Mustafizur Rahman Khan told the reporters that the HC issued the stay order and the ruling after hearing their arguments that Matiur Rahman was not present at the venue where Abrar, a ninth-grader, was electrocuted during the anniversary programme of Prothom Alo’s youth magazine Kishor Alo on November 1 last year.
Matiur Rahman was not involved with electricity supply management the occasion and in appointing the contractor for the electricity management and therefore, there was no element for framing charges against him in the case, the lawyer added.
Meanwhile, state counsel Saifuddin Khaled said that he does not know whether the government will move any appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the HC’s stay order.
On November 12 this year, a Dhaka Court framed charges against 9 persons, including Matiur Rahman, in the case.
The lower court, however, exempted from the charges Prothom Alo’s Associate Editor and the Editor of the Kishor Alo Anisul Hoque, who was one of the prime charge sheeted accused.
An event commemorating the Kishor Alo anniversary was held on 1 November last year at Dhaka Residential Model College grounds. Naimul Abrar was electrocuted there and died.
On November 6, 2019, Naimul’s father Md Mojibur Rahman filed the case with 4th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka alleging that his son died due to the ‘negligence’ of the authorities of Kishor Alo, a youth magazine of Prothom Alo.
The case was later merged with another case of Mohammadpur Police Station filed for unnatural death of the ninth-grader.
Md Abdul Halim, Sub Inspector of Mohammadpur Police Station and also Investigation Officer of the case, submitted the investigation report on January 16 this year saying that negligence of the ‘Kishor Alo’ authorities has been found in the investigation over the death.
A Dhaka Court on the same day issued arrest warrant against 10 persons including Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman. But later all the accused got bail from the concerned court.
