{"id":30828,"date":"2025-11-02T02:25:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T02:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebangladeshtoday.com\/?p=30828"},"modified":"2025-11-02T02:25:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T02:25:52","slug":"high-court-acquits-dse-director-minhaz-mannan-in-digital-security-act-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebangladeshtoday.com\/?p=30828","title":{"rendered":"High court acquits DSE Director Minhaz Mannan in Digital Security Act Case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TBT DESK:<\/strong> In a landmark judgment, the High Court on Thursday acquitted Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Director Minhaz Mannan Emon of all charges filed against him under the Digital Security Act (DSA), clearing his name after more than five years of legal uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A bench comprising Justice ASM Abdul Mobin and Justice Md Jabid Hossain delivered the verdict, granting Emon\u2019s appeal and overturning the earlier decision of the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal that had framed charges against him in February 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Confirming the development, Emon\u2019s counsel Advocate Moyeen Ferozee said, \u201cThe honourable High Court has found no legal grounds to sustain the charges. This verdict not only clears my client but also restores his professional reputation that was unfairly tarnished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case dates back to May 2020, when the Ramna Police Station registered a DSA case accusing seven individuals\u2014including Emon, cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, and Rashtrachinta member Didarul Islam Bhuiyan\u2014of \u201cspreading conspiratorial statements and rumours\u201d against the state on social media during the tenure of the then-government led by Sheikh Hasina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) later submitted the charge sheet in February 2021, naming seven accused in total. The others included Sweden-based journalist Tasnim Khalil, Hungary-based activist Samiul Islam Khan (alias Sam or Zulkar Nine), and Bangladeshi nationals Ashiq Imran and Wahidun Nabi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the Cyber Tribunal\u2019s order in 2022, both Emon and Didarul filed appeals against the decision. While the lower court initially rejected their appeals, Emon later moved to the High Court, which on 24 August 2022 stayed the proceedings and accepted his petition for hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a series of hearings that stretched over two years, the High Court\u2019s verdict has now brought long-awaited relief to Emon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Representing the state, Deputy Attorney General Sultana Akhter Ruby argued in favour of maintaining the charges, but the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence linking Emon to any online activity that could be deemed as a threat to state security or public order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Emon, a respected figure in the country\u2019s capital market and one of the directors of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, had faced professional and personal challenges during the course of the case. Speaking briefly after the verdict, he said he was \u201cdeeply relieved\u201d by the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was never just a legal battle\u2014it was about truth and reputation,\u201d Emon said. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to the judiciary for upholding justice and clearing my name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case was one of the most high-profile prosecutions under the Digital Security Act 2018, which was widely criticised by human rights groups and media advocates for allegedly being used to stifle dissent and free expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several of the accused, including cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, had previously drawn international attention after alleging torture while in custody. The DSA, which replaced the earlier Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, was repealed in 2024 and replaced by the Cyber Security Act, following domestic and international pressure to amend or abolish provisions seen as repressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Legal analysts believe Emon\u2019s acquittal could set an important precedent for other pending DSA-era cases still awaiting trial or appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis judgment underscores the judiciary\u2019s increasing willingness to scrutinise how DSA cases were filed and whether they met constitutional standards for freedom of expression,\u201d said a senior Supreme Court lawyer familiar with similar cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the legal dust settles, Minhaz Mannan Emon\u2019s acquittal not only marks the end of a protracted legal ordeal but also reignites debate about digital freedom and accountability in Bangladesh\u2019s justice system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TBT DESK: In a landmark judgment, the High Court on Thursday acquitted Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Director Minhaz Mannan Emon of all charges filed against him under the Digital Security Act (DSA), clearing his name after more than five years of legal uncertainty. A bench comprising Justice ASM Abdul Mobin and Justice Md Jabid Hossain [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":30829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy-business"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>High court acquits DSE Director Minhaz Mannan in Digital Security Act Case - The Bangladesh Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thebangladeshtoday.com\/?p=30828\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"High court acquits DSE Director Minhaz Mannan in Digital Security Act Case - The Bangladesh Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TBT DESK: In a landmark judgment, the High Court on Thursday acquitted Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Director Minhaz Mannan Emon of all charges filed against him under the Digital Security Act (DSA), clearing his name after more than five years of legal uncertainty. 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