Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
A Dhaka court has granted Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams bail in a digital security case until police submit their investigation report.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor set the bond for Shams at Tk 20,000 on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
Earlier on March 30, a Dhaka court sent Shams to jail after turning down his bail petition.
Shams was detained from his home in Savar early on March 29 by men identifying themselves as CID personnel. He faces two digital security cases – one filed by a Jubo League leader and the other by a lawyer.
The case filed by lawyer Moshiur Malek accuses the reporter of publishing and disseminating information that was “false, misleading, and defamatory to the nation”.
The case also names Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman for ‘ordering’ the report and an unnamed cameraman for ‘assisting’ it.
The High Court granted Matiur Rahman anticipatory bail for six weeks in the case filed by a lawyer on Sunday.
On March 26, the newspaper used a picture of a child to promote an article online. However, a quote used in the social media photo card was by a day labourer named Zakir Hossain, not the child. The discrepancy was corrected and it was later republished. The headline of the original report was also modified.
The report came under fire and two cases under the Digital Security Act were filed over the article.