S M Akash and Kausar Alam, Chattogram Bureau
Jatiya Sangsad Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) from Chattogram Shamsul Haque Chowdhury has filed a defamation suit worth BDT 500 crore against Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir and 11 others including journalists working in various media outlets owned by the group and senior journalists in Dhaka and Chattogram.

Whip’s Advocate Deepak Kumar Shil handed over a copy of the case to Chiattogram’s Patia Upazila Joint District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Abdul Quader’s court on Wednesday at noon.

The lawsuit alleges that the Bashundhara Group-owned media outlets, including Dainik Kaler Kantha, Dainik Bangladesh Pratidin, The Daily Sun, banglanews24.com and private TV channel News-24, continued to lie, baseless, fictitious and institutional owners against the family of Jatiya Sangsad Whip Samsul Haque Chowdhury. The case was filed in the Patia Joint District Judge’s Court for publishing false news despite being a responsible journalist.

Senior Advocate Deepak Kumar Shil, President of Patia Bar Association, filed the case on behalf of the whip. The accused in the case are Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Media Director Shah Alam, East West Media Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, the editor of Daily Bangladesh Pratidin and News-24 Naeem Nizam, Imdadul Haque Milon theeditor of Daily Kaler Kantha, Enamul Haque Chowdhury theeditor of The Daily Sun, Saidur Rahman Rimon Reporter of Daily Bangladesh Pratidin, and Riaz Haider Chowdhury, Co-President of Chittagong Bureau Chief Federal Journalist, Chittagong Bureau of Daily Kaler Kantha Chief SM Rana and Mohammad Selim, and editor of Bangla News.

The case alleges that Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his son Sayem Sobhan Anvir have been publishing false and baseless news one after another against Nazmul Karim Chowdhury Sharun, son of plaintiff and Jatiya Sangsad Whip Samsul Haque Chowdhury, which is in fact defamatory.

By presenting more than 100 false news in Bashundhara Group’s daily newspapers, online portals and TV channels, Whip Shamsul Haque defamed Chowdhury socially and politically so that he was harmed physically, mentally and financially. The lawyer in the case told “The Bangladesh Today” that he had filed the case.

Asked about this, Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury told The Bangladesh Today over phone that the media owned by Bashundhara Group has been spreading one-sided news against us for the last two years. “I have shown a lot of patience. I have given them a legal notice, they have not published it either. Now I am forced to file a case. I will get a proper legal answer for what they will do in future also, I apologize to the journalists as I have a good relationship with many of them but due to propaganda I have been compelled to lodge case against some yellow journalists”, he added.

“I have no personal dispute with the journalists,” Sharun Chowdhury told The Bangladesh Today over the phone. They are writing as they were instructedby their media house’s owners.Our conscience is compelling us from suing because they can do nothing outside the owner’s direction but we have no choice but to take strict legal action against such organized lies.” He also told to file complaint to the Press Council. He added that the use of newspapers and media outlets for the purpose of personal animosity should be stopped and now is the right time.