REPORT, TALK SHOW ON SUB-JUDICE MATTER
SC asks for Ekattor TV footage
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday directed private satellite television channel Ekattor TV to submit the video footage of a talk show and a report aired by it on the conversation between two SC judges.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order in a suo moto (on its own) move asking Ekattor TV to submit the footage by August 16. The apex court asked Attorney General Mahbubey Alam to inform the Ekattor TV authorities about its order.
After the order, Alam told reporters that the Ekattor TV, on Monday night, aired a report and a talk show on the conversation between two SC judges which is a sub-judice matter. The SC will examine whether the channel committed contempt of court by broadcasting the news and holding the talk show on a sub-judice matter, he added. Earlier, on Monday, a larger bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by the chief justice fixed August 13 for delivering its order on a contempt of court rule against the daily Janakantha Editor Atiqullah Khan Masud and Executive Editor Swadesh Roy. The apex court also asked Khan and Roy to be present before the court on August 13.
On July 29, the apex court in a suo moto move issued a rule asking Khan and Roy to explain why they should not be prosecuted and punished for publishing a contemptuous article on July 16 under the caption Activities of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury family: Escape route narrows.
The attorney general said the Janakantha editor and executive editor are now facing contempt charges for a report on the alleged conversation. As the matter is now pending with the apex court, none should discuss about the issue before the deliberation of the verdict.
During this period, broadcasting report and talk show on a sub-judice matter is tantamount to contempt of court, he added.
However, Ekattor TV ran a news report on Monday night over the matter, in which the conversation was aired.
Later that night, participants in its talk show Ekattor Journal discussed the audio tape of the conversation.
