Dhaka: Ten cases, including a sedition case, were filed against The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam on Sunday for carrying ‘confusing’ and ‘defamatory’ reports in his English daily about Awami League President Sheikh Hasina during the 2007-08 military-backed caretaker regime.

Of the cases, nine were filed against Mahfuz Anam in Sylhet, Khulna, Patuakhali, Rangamati and Shariatpur districts while a sedition case was filed against him in Netrakona.

In Sylhet, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Sylhet city unit president Abdul Basit Rumman and former president of the unit Rahat Tarafder filed defamation cases, each of Tk 100 crore, with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman Hiro.

Taking cognizance of the cases, the court summoned Mahfuz Anam.

Humayun Kabir Babul, lawyer of Abdul Basit Rumman, said Mahfuz Anam published reports against Sheikh Hasina based on information provided by DGFI without any scrutiny in 2007 and he in a television talk-show confessed to running such stories in his newspaper.

In Khulna, two defamation cases were filed against the editor for the same reason.

Khulna district BCL office secretary M Taslim Hossain Taj filed a Tk-10 crore case against Mahfuz with the cognizance court-1 of Khulna Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Aeysha Akhter Mousumi while district BCL joint secretary M Parvez Alam filed another Tk-5 crore defamation case with the cognizance court-1 of Khulna Chief Judicial Magistrate Court M Manzur Hossain.

Later, the Chief Judicial Magistrate issued a warrant for the arrest of Mahfuz and fixed 29 March for the next hearing.

Khulna Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Aeysha Akhter Mousumi asked the officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station to submit a report after an investigation.  

In Shariatpur, three other defamation cases were filed against the editor with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court of the district.

District unit BCL former president Nurul Amin Kotwal, Awami Muktijodhdha Projanma League central organization secretary Hasibul Islam and Jajira upazila BCL general secretary Hanif Miah filed the cases.  

In Patuakhali, district Swechchasebok League general secretary adv Ujjal Bose filed a Tk-5 crore defamation case against the editor with Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-5 of the district.

Taking cognizance of the case, the court summoned Mahfuz Anam.

In Rangamati, Kaptai upazila Jubo League President Nasir Uddin filed a defamation case against the editor with the court of Rangamati Chief Judicial Magistrate Saifuddin Khaled.

In Netrakona, a sedition case was filed against the editor with the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Alamgir kabir Shipon.

District Public Prosecutor Golam Mohammad Khan Pathan filed the case under section 120(k), 124(k) and 501 of the penal code.

After recording the initial statement of complainant, the court asked the officer-in-charge of Netrakona Model Police Station to submit a preliminary report before the court by 6 March.

Mahfuz Anam in 3 February talk show with ATN Bangla admitted that his newspaper published unverified news supplied by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) during the caretaker regime. He also added that almost all newspapers published such reports during the military-backed government period and such acts were not good editorial practice.