A Dhaka court has rejected a plea to admit a lawsuit against sacked state minister Murad Hassan for making "vulgar, obscene and misogynistic" comments about Zaima Rahman, daughter of BNP's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, under the Digital Security Act.
Cyber Tribunal Judge Ash Shams Joglul Hossain took the decision after hearing the petition on Monday, according to BNP-allied lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukdar, reports bdnews24.com.
Lawyers filed petitions with the cyber tribunals of Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Rajshahi divisions seeking to bring to book Murad and another individual, Mohiuddin Helal Nahid, for the comments on Zaima, granddaughter of former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The judge in Rajshahi had also set Monday for the hearing while the tribunals in Chattogram and Sylhet will hear the petitions on Dec 15.
Murad drew widespread criticism for the remarks he made during a video interview aired on Nahid’s Facebook page.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina subsequently ordered him to resign as the state minister for information after he made a series of controversial remarks, some in public.
On top of that, an audio leak of Murad making a rape threat against an actress sparked a social media storm, leading to his ignominious exit from the government.
He submitted his resignation accordingly. He was also expelled by the Awami League, the ruling party.
Amid widespread criticism, Murad flew to Canada around midnight on Thursday and returned home on Sunday after the Canadian authorities denied him entry.