Chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has said the country’s image comes first.
"Write, but do not do anything which does not behove an educated person," said the CJ while hearing the state’s appeal against the bail of an accused detained under the Digital Security Act.
The chief justice on Sunday made the comment at the lawyer of an accused held under Digital Security Act.
A three-member Appellate Division bench led by the chief justice heard the appeal.
A case was filed in Sylhet against some Golam Sarwar for sneering the prime minister and other important persons through Facebook posts.
According to the case filed in March last year, the accused also allegedly posted and shared negative things and distorted images of various persons.
The High Court last October granted anticipatory bail to Sarwar in the case. The camber court on 18 October stayed the High Court order following the appeal from the state.
Sarwar’s lawyer Md Asaduzzaman said the accused has been languishing in jail for a year. No charge sheet has been filed in the case.
The accused has four stents placed in his heart. The bail has been sought for him on medical ground, the lawyer said.
why do the accused posts these despite having stents? the court asked .
Asaduzzaman replied that the accused has been in jail since 14 March. He is languishing in jail for around a year without any trial and no charge sheet was prepared in the case.
The High Court granted the bail on the accused’s medical ground, the lawyer said.
The chief justice then retorted to the lawyer saying you wouldn’t be spared (get bail) if you do these in future, if you tarnish the image of the country by doing these excesses, because the country’s image comes first.
The lawyer said the chamber court on 18 October suspended the bail, but five months have elapsed since then.
Syed Mahmud Hossain asked the lawyer to warn the accused, saying the accused would not get bail if he comes again.
He said the people do ‘satire’ in the USA too but they do not write in so coarse way as it happens here in Bangladesh.
“Can an educated person use such language? What is the use of education then?” the chief justice asked.
Deputy attorney general Bishwajit Debnath said the use of language in very ugly.
Chief justice retorted that he read one such post.
The deputy attorney general again said the writings are not even readable.
Upon the hearing, the court later dismissed the state’s plea.
Lawyer Asaduzzaman told Prothom Alo that the Appellate Division has upheld the bail granted by the High Court after the hearing.