No bar to publish, broadcast Tarique’s statements: HC

The High Court today cleared the way for print, electronic and social media to publish and broadcast BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s statements.
The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the order, scrapping its previous orders that banned publishing and broadcasting Tarique Rahman’s statements in the media, and also lifted a rule issued in 2015 to this effect.
The HC bench’s order came a day after writ petitioner and Supreme Court lawyer Nashreen Siddiqua Lina submitted an application before it saying that she would no longer run the petition upon which the HC issued the rule and ad-interim orders at different times.
“All the ad-interim orders passed in connection with the writ petition are hereby recalled (withdrawn) and vacated and the rule is discharged,” the bench said.
Barrister Kayser Kamal appeared for Tarique Rahman during the court’s proceedings today.
Contacted, Advocate Nashreen Siddiqua Lina refused to make any comment about her decision for not running her petition.
Earlier on January 7, 2017, following the same writ petition, another HC bench ordered the government to immediately take steps to stop publishing and broadcasting Tarique Rahman’s statements in media as long as he remains a fugitive.
The bench also issued a rule asking the authorities and the media to explain why publishing Tarique’s statements should not be declared illegal.
During hearing of the rule on August 28 last year, the HC bench of Justice Md Khairuzzaman and Justice Md Khairul Alam ordered Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to immediately “remove or strike down” Tarique Rahman’s statements from social media.