Fighting Corruption: Media’s role very important

The High Court yesterday observed that media and journalists have a very important role in eradicating all kinds of corruption.

The court and judges alone cannot do it, said the bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel.

The bench came up with the observation during hearing a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission seeking necessary directives against the authorities of Ekattor TV for allowing Proshanta Kumar Halder, also known as PK Halder, to participate in a live talk show and broadcasting his interview.

PK Halder, former managing director of NRB Global Bank, is a fugitive accused in a money laundering case.

Yesterday, the HC also asked the authorities of Ekattor TV to place their statements explaining their role in broadcasting the interview of PK Halder, who fled the country after allegedly siphoning off around Tk 10,200 crore from some non-banking financial institutions, and in allowing him to participate in the live talk show on December 28 last year. 

The authorities of the private TV channel have been ordered to place their explanations by themselves or through engaging lawyer before the HC bench on January 17.

The bench also fixed 12 noon on January 17 for further hearing on the issue.

Earlier in the day, the HC judges and lawyers watched the recorded report and talk show broadcast by Ekattor TV on PK Halder on the display screen as the authorities of the TV channel produced the video clips before the bench through its register office in line with its December 30 order.

During yesterday's hearing, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan prayed to the HC to issue a contempt of court rule against the authorities of Ekattor TV, saying that they had the audacity and high-handedness by permitting fugitive accused PK Halder to take part in the live talk show.

By doing so, the Ekattor TV authorities have presented themselves parallel to the court, which is very much contemptuous, he argued.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik told the HC that the court needs to hear the explanations from the Ekattor TV authorities.

Mosharraf Hossain, lawyer for Uzzal Kumar Nandi, an accomplice of PK Halder, told the HC bench that the Ekattor TV's report and talk show have not maligned the court.

Following the ACC's petition, the HC bench on December 30 directed the private television channel to submit video clips of the interview and conversations PK Halder had with the channel on December 28 to this court yesterday.

The court has observed that no accused or convicted of non-bailable and cognisable offences is entitled to make any comment or give interview before media.

"Our concrete and considered view is that the accused, the convict, the fugitive and convicted accused of non-bailable and cognisable offences who are wanted by the court are not entitled to make any comments or give interviews before TV channels, electronic media, print media, social media or any other media in respect to the case during its pendency for trial and investigation because it may create confusion, affect the merit of the case and also lower the image and sanctity of the judiciary and the investigating agency," the bench said.

In the full text of the order, the HC also restrained by an order of injunction the authorities of all media from participating, publishing, broadcasting any statement, comment, interview and conversation of anyone accused and convicted of non-bailable and cognisable offences in TV news and talk shows with regard to the cases pending before the court or investigating agency till further order.