TDS Desk:

A Dhaka court on Thursday (31 October) acquitted online activist Pinaki Bhattacharya and former joint secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Mofizur Rahman Ashique from a case filed under the Digital Security Act, accusing them of tarnishing the country’s image.

The judge of the Cyber Tribunal of Dhaka Nur-e-Alam passed the order refusing to take cognizance into the charge sheet submitted before the court on 9 October in connection with the case, public prosecutor of the tribunal Md Rafiqul Islam said.

The then sub-inspector (SI) M Abdullah Maruf of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed the case against three people, including Pinaki and Ashique, with the capital city’s Ramna Police Station on 15 October 2022 on charges of presenting distorted information about police personnel.

The investigation officer of the case, SI Mohammad Rahat Hossain, submitted the charge sheet against two individuals, Pinaki and Ashique, before the tribunal.

Another accused of the case, former deputy press secretary of Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, was dropped from the charge sheet.

The case was filed following a Facebook post posted on 14 October 2022.

Later, police arrested Ashique from his Pallabi residence on 15 October 2022. He was on bail in the case.