DEFAMING NEW ELECTION COMMISSION
Tk 500cr libel suit against SATV
Bahalul Alam Bahar, a lawyer of the Dhaka Bar Association, has filed a defamation case of Tk. 500 crore against the owner and an anchor of private television channel SATV for allegedly branding the new election commissioners as Gopals. Bahalul filed the case in the Dhaka chief metropolitan magistrates court on Monday. Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Abu Sayeed has taken the case into cognisance. The word Gopal is sometimes used as a slang to demean someone. On February 6, SATV anchor Faisal-al- Mahmud had, in a TV talk show titled Late Edition, allegedly branded the new EC commissioners as Gopals. Faisal Mahmud had allegedly asked the talk show guestsAL organising secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and BNP leader Shamsuzzaman Duduthat a viewer had wanted to know whether these Gopals would be able to do anything for the nation. After asking the viewers question, anchor Faisal Mahmud allegedly said that the same question had been on his mind about the newly appointed EC panel. Bahalul said in his case statement that he had filed the defamation case as he felt embarrassed about the new EC panel being termed as Gopals. He demanded immediate arrest of SATV owner Salauddin Ahmed and the anchor for making such a derogatory statement against the new EC panel.
