Faridpur: A court yesterday exempted journalist Probir Sikdar from appearing before it in a case filed against him under the Information and Communication Technology Act, reports UNB. Senior Judicial Magistrate Hamidul Islam passed the order after Probir filed a petition seeking exemption from appearance in person before the court. At the same time, the court also extended his bail and fixed December 6 for next hearing in the case, said court sub-inspector Subir.
Earlier on August 16, detectives picked up Probir Sikdar, owner of online newspaper ‘Uttaradhikar Ekattor News’, from his Indira Road office in the capital for his comments on the Facebook status that hurt the dignity of LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain.
Later, Swapan Chandra Paul, local Awami League leader and also assistant public prosecutor of Faridpur Judge’s Court, filed a case with Kotwali police station in Faridpur against the journalist under the ICT Act.
Following the filing of the case, the DB handed over Probir to Kotwali model police station.
Probir was freed from jail on bail on August 19, a day after he was taken on a three-day police remand.
Probir had written about Shamser’s alleged role in the Liberation War in an article titled ‘Shei Razakar’ when he was the Faridpur correspondent of Daily Janakantha in 2001.