Friday, August 5, 2011

CONTEMPT

Monday, May 3, 2004


The High Court yesterday summarily rejected plea of a city magistrate to draw contempt proceedings against a UNB reporter for writing that she (magistrate) stood up and saluted a minister as he entered the court in a defamation suit.
Editors and publishers of The Daily Star and Bhorer Kagoj were also charged for publication of the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) report.
"The reporter had no intention to belittle the court, rather the intention to protect practice of the court...We do not find any elements of contempt of court," observed Justice M A Matin and Justice Shamim Hasnain in their order rejecting the reference.
Magistrate Khandker Fatema Begum, following the report published on September 29 last year herself initiated a case and forwarded to the High Court for drawing contempt proceedings against Faruk Quazi, senior reporter of UNB, saying the report is a punishable offence under the Contempt of Court Act 1926.
Quazi had reported that lawyers, court officials and litigants at a metropolitan court were surprised when magistrate Khandker Fatema Begum stood up and saluted Minister for Housing and Public Works Mirza Abbas as he appeared there as plaintiff of a defamation case on September 28 last year.

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