The High Court today granted bail to a local journalist of Khulna, MA Sabur Rana, in a case filed under the controversial Digital Security Act (DSA), clearing the way for him to walk out of jail.
The bench of Justice JBM Hassan granted the bail to Sabur, Khulna’s Rampal correspondent of the Daily Loksomaj and also the president of Rampal Press Club, until further order following a petition filed by him seeking bail in the case.
There is no legal bar for MA Sabur Rana to get released from jail following the HC order of bail, his lawyer Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain told The Daily Star.
He said the HC bench granted bail to Sabur as principal accused of the case, Abu Tayub Munshi, was granted bail by another bench earlier.
Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy told this correspondent that the higher authorities concerned are yet to decide whether any appeal will be moved before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the HC order of bail.
On April 20 this year, Talukdar Abdul Khalek, mayor of Khulna City Corporation filed the case against journalists—MA Sabur Rana and Abu Tayub Munshi, Khulna correspondent of NTV–under the Digital Security Act for posting statuses on their personal Facebook accounts against the mayor.
Journalist Abu Tayub was arrested on the very night of filing the case and got bail after serving 21 days in jail.
On June 3, MA Sabur Rana appeared before the Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 to seek bail in the case.
But Shahidul Islam, judge of Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 sent Sabur to jail after rejecting his bail petition.
Source: The Daily Star
