A Dhaka court on Tuesday turned down a bail appeal filed by renowned photographer and activist Shahidul Alam who was arrested in a case under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act.
Judge KM Imrul Kayes rejected the appeal, a day after the High Court (HC) ordered the metropolitan sessions judge’s court to settle the plea from Shahidul.
Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman issued the order on Monday following Shahidul’s appeal, reports bdnews24.
Earlier, the chief justice arranged a new bench to hear the case on September 4 as one judge of a two-member High Court bench, comprising of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman, expressed discomfort with the case.
The police arrested Shahidul, founder of the Drik Gallery and Pathshala South-Asian Media Institute on August 5, over charges of spreading rumours on social media during a campaign for safer roads by students in Dhaka.
Later police filed a case under the ICT act against Shahidul alleging that he had ‘provoked people and spread false propaganda.’
His lawyers appealed to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court on August 14 when the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court rejected his first bail petition.
The lawyers sought to bring the hearing date forward when the judge scheduled September 11 for the hearing of the bail plea.
They again appealed for interim bail for Shahidul on August 26 when the court declined to bring the date forward.
Shahidul’s lawyers went to the High Court on August 28, when the court declined to hear the bail petition.
