BNP leader in Dinajpur jailed for a month for disparaging apex court judge

Dinajpur Municipality Mayor and BNP leader Syed Jahangir Alam has been sentenced to one month of imprisonment and a fine of Tk1 lakh by the Appellate Division for disparaging an apex court judge.

On Thursday (12 October), a four-judge appellate bench headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan gave this verdict in response to a contempt of court petition.

The court asked Syed Jahangir Alam to surrender in Dinajpur court within a week and asked the police to arrest him if he does not surrender.

Besides, if he does not pay the Tk1 lakh fine, Mayor Jahangir will have to serve another seven days of imprisonment.

The Appellate Division also said that the apology he made was not acceptable.

Four SC lawyers filed a petition seeking necessary directives against Jahangir's defamatory remarks on YouTube against Justice M Enayetur Rahim, a senior judge of the Appellate Division, over a judgement he delivered in a case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.

On 17 August, an Appellate Division bench directed him to appear before the court.

The court also served a show cause notice to him asking why he should not be punished for disparaging a judge of the apex court. He was ordered to appear in court on 24 August at 9am.

He appeared in court on 24 August and sought unconditional pardon.

It also asked Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman to immediately remove the YouTube video containing his comments from the social media platforms.

Four lawyers, including three members of the Supreme Court Bar Association, filed the contempt petition. Lawyer Shah Manjurul Hoque heard on their behalf in the court. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin participated in the hearing for the state.

Jahangir Alam was elected mayor of Dinajpur municipality in 2011.