SC stays JnU student Khadija's bail for four months in DSA cases
The Supreme Court stayed a High Court order that granted bail to Jagannath University student Khadijatul Kubra in two separate cases filed under the Digital Security Act for four months.
The Appellate Division of the apex court ordered a stand over (waiting for hearing) four petitions involving her bail for four months.
A full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after a hearing on the petitions filed by the state challenging the HC order, as well as Khadijatul against SC chamber judge's stay order.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
During the hearing Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique observed that YouTube channel owners will be held responsible for the comments made by their guests during live broadcasts.
"If you can call someone for a talk show interview, why can you not take responsibility for what they say?" said the chief justice.
Lawyer BM Elias Kachee and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua appeared on behalf of Khadija in the court.
Earlier in February, the High Court granted Khadija's bail plea. However, in view of the state's application, the chamber judge suspended the bail order given by the High Court and sent it to the Appellate Division for a hearing.
In October 2020, police filed two separate cases under the Digital Security Act against Khadijatul Kubra and retired Major Delwar Hossain in Kalabagan and New Market police stations for allegedly spreading anti-government statements online and tarnishing the image of the country.
The allegations and descriptions of the two cases filed within a week were identical. Khadija was arrested by police on 17 September last year and has been in prison since then.
In the case of the New Market police station, SI Khairul Islam said that he watched a video on Major (Retd) Delwar's YouTube channel on the morning of 11 October 2020.
Khadijatul Kubra was the host of the video titled "Humanity for Bangladesh." According to the case statements, in the video, Delwar Hossain gave various instructions to "overthrow the legitimate democratic government of Bangladesh."
