A Dhaka court has granted bail to former Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon, former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, and former Justice of the Supreme Court A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik in a defamation case filed over alleged derogatory remarks about former President Ziaur Rahman.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Raunak Jahan Taki granted them bail on Tuesday after hearing the matter.
According to Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the DMP Prosecution Division Mia Mohammad Ashis Bin Hasan, the case was scheduled for hearing on the day. An application was filed to show Inu arrested in the case, and he was produced before the court. After the hearing, the court formally recorded his arrest.
The other two accused were also presented before the court. Lawyers for all three sought bail, which the court granted following the hearing.
Earlier, on January 21, Menon and Manik were shown arrested in the same case.
The defamation case was filed on August 22, 2024, by lawyer Ziaul Haque. The court took cognisance of the complaint and directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate.
According to the case statement, Manik allegedly made defamatory remarks about Ziaur Rahman during a television talk show on October 3, 2022, and earlier at a seminar on February 15, 2021.
The allegations against Inu and Menon state that they made objectionable comments about Ziaur Rahman at separate events on July 19, 2013. The accused are also alleged to have made derogatory remarks about the Zia family on various occasions.
