DSA case: Jagannath University student gets five years imprisonment

The court has sentenced Tithy Sarkar, a suspended student of Jagannath University (JnU) to five years in prison in a case of filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) on accusation of hurting religious sentiments. She will be kept on probation for a year.

Judge As-Shams Jaglul Hossain of the cyber tribunal in Dhaka passed the sentence today, Monday.  

The stenographer of the tribunal Mamun Shikder told Prothom Alo that accused Tithy Sarkar has pleaded guilty and appealed to the court to put her on probation. The court granted her appeal and gave the decision to put her on probation for one year.

The order stated that the accused will remain under the supervision of the probation officer for a year and follow the social norms, customs and behaviour, he added.

A case had been filed against JnU student Tithy Sarkar with Paltan police station in the capital on 13 November 2021 under the Digital Security Act on allegation of hurting religious sentiments.

After investigation, the charge sheet was submitted against her in the court on 19 May 2021. The court then framed charges against her on 4 November 2021.

Giving an offender the chance to adjust in the society, without awarding them any punishment (suspending the punishment) or without keeping them imprisoned or confined in any organisation, is called ‘probation’.

Under this arrangement, the applicant gets the opportunity to stay under the supervision of the probation officer and live with their family subjected to conditions under court’s order. The post of the probation officer falls under the jurisdiction of the department of social services.

According to section no.5 of the probation law, male offenders awarded with any punishment except for death and life sentences are eligible for probation while female offenders can get probation in case of any sentence but death row.  

The preconditions of being put on probation usually include activities like reading liberation war books, planting trees, following religious ethics, partaking in anti-drug processions, behaving well with the neighbours, giving singing lessons for free, providing food to orphans, honest living, taking care of the parents and so on.