Bail has been granted to former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, former Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon, and former Supreme Court Justice A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik in a defamation case filed over alleged derogatory remarks about former President Ziaur Rahman.
The order was issued on Tuesday by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Raunak Jahan Taki following a hearing.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Prosecution Division, Miah Mohammad Ashis Bin Hasan, confirmed the matter to the media.
According to court sources, Hasanul Haq Inu was produced before the court following a petition to show him arrested in the case. The other two accused, Rashed Khan Menon and Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, were also brought to court for appearance. After the hearing, the court formally showed Inu arrested in the case. Subsequently, defense lawyers filed bail petitions on behalf of all three accused, which the court granted.
Case documents state that on January 21, Menon and Manik were shown arrested in connection with the case. Earlier, on August 22, 2024, lawyer Ziaul Haque filed the defamation case. The court accepted the complaint and directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate.
According to the allegations, on October 3, 2022, Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, while participating in a private television talk show, referred to Ziaur Rahman as a “Razakar” and a “war criminal.” Additionally, at a seminar on February 15, 2021, he claimed that Ziaur Rahman was not a freedom fighter but an infiltrator in the Liberation War.
The case also alleges that on July 19, 2013, in separate events, Hasanul Haq Inu and Rashed Khan Menon made objectionable remarks about Ziaur Rahman.
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