Photojournalist Kajol Denied Bail

A virtual court in Dhaka today rejected a petition for bail filed by photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dhiman Chandra Mondol of the Virtual Court-4 passed the order after his lawyer submitted a request for bail in the case by e-mail.

At today's videoconferencing hearing, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua told the court that his client Kajol had been in jail since his arrest on 3 May. In fact, the allegations filed against Kajol are baseless, invented and concocted. He appealed to the court to grant bail to his client.

On the other hand, the prosecution opposed it, saying that the accused had committed the offense by posting derogatory remarks about the lawmaker, and that the petition for bail should be rejected.

After hearing both sides, the virtual court rejected the petition for bail.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kajol was shown to have been arrested in the case.

Saifuzzaman Shikhor, a ruling party lawmaker from Magura-1, filed a case against Kajol with Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Police Station on 9 March.

Two additional cases were also brought against Kajol under the same act with Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations on 10 and 11 March, respectively.

Fifty-three days into his disappearance, Kajol was found by Border Guard Bangladesh in Benapole on May 3.

He was then arrested — primarily on charges of trespassing — but was granted bail after being brought before the Jashore court.

Later that evening, it was shown that, pursuant to section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the police informed the court that three more cases against Kajol had been pending with different police stations in the capital.

The court then sent him to Jashore jail.