A Dhaka court on Tuesday granted bail to former Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon, former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, and former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik in a defamation case filed over alleged derogatory remarks about former President Ziaur Rahman.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Raunak Jahan Taki passed the order after hearing the case.
Deputy Commissioner of the DMP Prosecution Division Mia Mohammad Ashish Bin Hasan, confirmed the matter.
According to court sources, Inu was produced before the court following a petition seeking to show him arrested in the case. The other two accused, Menon and Manik, were brought to court for appearance.
After the hearing, the court formally showed Inu arrested in the case.
Lawyers for the three accused later filed petitions seeking bail. Following the hearing, the court granted bail to all three.
On 21 January, Menon and Manik were also shown arrested in the same case.
Earlier, on 22 August 2024, lawyer Ziaul Haque filed the defamation case before the court.
The court took cognisance of the complaint and directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to conduct an inquiry.
According to the case statement, Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, during a talk show on a private television channel on 3 October 2022, described Ziaur Rahman as a “Razakar and war criminal”.
Earlier, on 15 February 2021, he made similar remarks at a seminar, claiming that Ziaur Rahman was not a freedom fighter but an infiltrator in the Liberation War.
The case also states that on 19 July 2013, in separate programmes, Hasanul Haq Inu and Rashed Khan Menon made objectionable remarks about Ziaur Rahman as well.
It further alleges that the accused made various derogatory and defamatory comments about the Zia family at different times.
