A Dhaka court dismissed a case filed against content creator Shahin Mahmud under the Cyber Security Ordinance. The complaint accused him of making derogatory remarks about BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Facebook.
Judge Mohammad Saidur Rahman Gazi delivered the order on Thursday. State prosecutor Md Rafiqul Islam confirmed the tribunal rejected the case because the as the case was not filed with proper documents.
The case was filed a day earlier by Iltutmish Sawdagar Annie, a leader of the pro-BNP lawyers’ group. He had named Shahin and several unidentified people as accused. The court accepted the filing for hearing but later dismissed it after reviewing the documents.
The complaint centred on comments Tarique Rahman made during a virtual rally on 12 November. He said that “getting a fair price for potatoes is more important than a referendum.”
Three days later, Shahin posted a response from his verified Facebook account. He wrote that if Tk88 crore had gone to farmers instead of being spent on a “bulletproof car,” farmers would have received fair prices for potatoes and onions.
The plaintiff claimed Shahin’s post spread false information and aimed to damage Tarique’s honour and political standing. He also alleged that Shahin and others acted deliberately, or under influence, to tarnish the BNP leader’s reputation.
The case cited Sections 23(2), 25(1), 27(1), and 27(2) of the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025.
However, the tribunal ruled that the complaint did not meet the legal threshold for prosecution and dismissed it.
