Protests halt court proceedings after bail denial in DSA case

A judge in a Dhaka court was unable to conduct trial proceedings today due to protests by a group of pro-BNP lawyers, following denial of bail to an accused in a case under the Digital Security Act (DSA) on Thursday.

Witnesses said tensions escalated when Judge Md Nur A Alam of the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal denied bail to Fazar Ali and sent him to jail in a case filed with Paltan Model Police Station on June 9, 2019, over the alleged circulation of obscene photos of a female police officer.

The order led to an altercation between the judge and defence lawyer Shamsuzzaman Dipu.

In protest, around 15 pro-BNP lawyers, led by Dipu, demonstrated outside the courtroom for an hour, demanding the judge's removal, said a court staffer.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Miraj Uddin Sikder said the lawyers expressed their anger after the bail rejection on Thursday, prompting the judge to leave the courtroom.

"Today, he refrained from conducting trial proceedings to avoid further disruptions," he added.

Lawyer Shamsuzzaman Dipu confirmed that the Dhaka Bar Association's president and general secretary were informed, and with their consent, the lawyers decided to boycott the Cyber Tribunal from today.

Attempts to reach Dhaka Bar Association General Secretary Syed Nazrul Islam for comment were unsuccessful.