A tribunal in Sylhet has acquitted all defendants, including two reporters, in a case filed under the now-defunct Digital Security Act (DSA) four years ago in Habiganj. The verdict was delivered by Sylhet Cyber Tribunal and District and Sessions Judge Begum Ferdous Ara on Thursday.
The case dates back to 2021 when Mohammad Alam, then a senior fisheries officer in Baniachong upazila, Habiganj, filed a complaint after Banglanews24.com published a report alleging irregularities and corruption during his time at the Kurshi Hatchery in Nabiganj upazila. Maasranga Television also covered the same issue.
Alam retaliated by lodging a DSA case against the two journalists – Badrul Alam from Banglanews24.com and Chowdhury Md Masud Ali Farhad from Maasranga Television – along with others who had previously complained against him at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Originally filed with the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal, the case was later handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before being transferred to the Sylhet Cyber Tribunal.
During the trial, it was revealed that allegations in the charge sheet, submitted by then CID Habiganj officer-in-charge Meherun Nesa, went beyond the initial complaint. There were suspicions that Alam, who had ties to a former influential Awami League lawmaker, interfered with the investigation.
The court found discrepancies in the testimonies of six witnesses, including office staff and assistants from the Baniachong and Shayestaganj fisheries offices, leading to their statements being discredited during cross-examination.
Despite various committees and departmental inquiries, none of the investigations into the corruption accusations against Alam yielded conclusive results. Former Department of Fisheries Director General Md Zillur Rahman noted the slow progress in the ministry’s departmental case, which remained stuck at the stage of collecting the accused’s statements.
Lawyers representing Badrul, Barrister Mohammad Zakaria Rocky and Advocate Marzia Amin Chowdhury Diana, stated, “We have successfully demonstrated that Mohammad Alam’s allegations were baseless. The inconsistencies in witness accounts exposed how the case was fabricated to target journalists.”