Shahidul’s bail hearing rescheduled again

The High Court has fixed Thursday to hear the ruling on the bail petition of acclaimed photographer Shahidul Alam, arrested in a case filed under the controversial ICT Act.

A bench of Justices Sheikh Abdul Awal and Bhishmadev Chakrabortty pushed the date back on Wednesday in response to a time petition from the state.

Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ullah appeared for the state while Barristers Sara Hossain and Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for Shahidul Alam during the court session.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, who was expected to represent the state during Wednesday’s hearing as scheduled earlier, could not do so due to health issues. 

DAG Bashir Ullah urged the court for additional time before the hearing, citing the attorney general’s absence.

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Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua told the Dhaka Tribune: “High Court has changed the date for hearing to Thursday due to the medical condition of the attorney general.”

On Thursday, the High Court will hear the on ruling it had issued on October 7 asking the government why Shahidul should not be granted bail.

Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and SM Mojibur Rahman came up with the ruling over a petition seeking Shahidul’s bail on October 7.

Later, the same bench dropped the case proceedings from its cause list after state lawyers produced footage of an interview that Shahidul gave to Al Jazeera. 

The petition came to the bench of Justices Sheikh Abdul Awal and Bhishmadev Chakrabortty. 

Photojournalist Shahidul Alam, 63, was picked up by law enforcement officials, hours after he had given an interview on the student protests for road safety in Bangladesh to Al Jazeera.

Police filed a case under the ICT Act against Shahidul alleging that he had “provoked people and spread false propaganda.”