Mayor Taposh threatens Tk100 crore defamation lawsuit against The Daily Star

The legal team of Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has announced their intention to file a Tk100 crore defamation lawsuit against the authorities of The Daily Star for their failure to issue an unconditional apology regarding a defamatory satire piece published about the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.

During a press conference held at the BSEC building in the capital's Karwan Bazar area on Saturday, Barrister Mejbaur Rahman, leading the mayor's legal team, made the announcement.

Barrister Mejbaur Rahman stated, "On 5 June, we sent a legal notice to The Daily Star requesting the removal of a defamatory article about Mayor Taposh from their online platform and demanding an unconditional apology."

"While The Daily Star did remove the article from their website, they did not publicly apologise for their actions," he continued.

"In their rejoinder, they expressed regret if anyone was hurt by the content, while simultaneously attempting to defend the article," Barrister Mejbaur explained, emphasising that mere regret was insufficient.

"The Daily Star owes an unconditional apology to Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh," he asserted, cautioning that if no apology is issued by 13 June, a defamation lawsuit amounting to Tk100 crore will be filed against the national daily.

Barrister Khondkar Reza-i Rakib, Barrister Khondkar Reza-i Rabbi, and Barrister Imranul Kabir, members of the mayor's legal panel, were present at the press conference.

Earlier, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh sent a legal notice to The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, demanding Tk100 crore in compensation for allegedly publishing a "defamatory" article about tree-felling in the Dhanmondi area of the capital. The satire article, titled "Cutting trees to make way for air," was published in the newspaper's 13 May edition.

The notice stipulates that the compensation must be paid within seven days, or else legal action will be taken in court. It also highlights that on 13 May, The Daily Star published a "baseless article insulting the mayor of the Dhaka South City Corporation" regarding tree cutting, which violated the principles of journalism as outlined in existing laws.