Journalist Probir acquitted in case filed under ICT Act

Probir Sikdar (centre) after his release. Photo - Courtesy

Special Correspondent

Dhaka, September 09 - The Dhaka Cyber Tribunal yesterday acquitted journalist Probir Sikdar in a case filed against him under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, 2006.

Judge Mohammad Ash Sams Joglul Hossain of the tribunal passed the acquittal

order on Thursday.

The judgment was supposed to be delivered on April 11 but the judge could not

pronounce the verdict on that day due to the lockdown during the corona

pandemic.

Earlier, the tribunal recorded statements of 10 prosecution witnesses including

the complainant Swapon Paul, adviser of local Puja Celebration committee, who

also a Awami Leader of Faridpur. He filed the case with Kotowali Police Station

of Faridpur on the same day.

Probir, editor of Daily Bangla 71, was arrested on the same day after the Awami

League leader filed the case over a Facebook post Probir made. Later, he got bail.

In the Facebook post, dated August 10 that year, Probir said his life is under

threat and that the then Local Government and Rural Development Minister

Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain and two others will be responsible if he is killed.