Professor Kalimulla, two others sued

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National Election Observation Council (NEOC) chairman Nazmul Ahsan Kalimulla and two others have been sued in a case filed over delivering ‘derogatory remarks’ about Awami-League (AL) nominated mayoral candidate in Cumilla City Corporation election at a talk show.

Cumilla city Jubo League convenor Abdullah Al Mahmud filed the lawsuit on Wednesday with cyber tribunal court in Chattogram in which BNP chairperson's adviser Monirul Haque Chowdhury and Hasina Akhter, Table Talk moderator of a UK based YouTube channel, were also made accused.

Plaintiff lawyer Sheikh Iftekhar Saimul Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that the court has ordered the cybercrime unit of police to submit a report over the issue. The next hearing will be held on 12 July.

It is alleged in the case statement that the AL nomination board on 13 May nominated the general secretary of Cumilla city AL Arfanul Haque as the mayoral candidate for Cumilla City Corporation election in a meeting chaired by prime minister Sheikh Hasina. But a talk show titled ‘Table Talk’ aired from the UK on 19 May, sponsored by BNP-Jamaat, premeditatedly spread fabricated information against Arfanul Haque.

In the talk show, it was first claimed that 'Arfanul Haque purchased a nomination in exchange for Tk 130 million, then Tk 200 million, later claimed Tk 60 million.’ Since the prime minister Sheikh Hasina was the head of the board, such a remark was derogatory for her, the statement added.

However, Monirul refuted the allegation brought against him. He told Prothom Alo that "At one stage of discussion, I heard about the matter of money transaction [in nomination] and then talked about it."