Dhaka: The High Court will deliver its verdict on Sunday on a writ petition filed seeking to stop the airing of three Indian TV channels—Star Jalsha, Star Plus and Zee Bangla—in Bangladesh.

An HC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan will announce the verdict.

The writ petitioner’s lawyer Ekhlas Uddin Bhuaiyan told NTV Online, the hearing on a rule issued earlier in connection with the petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Syeda Shahin Ara Laily was completed on 25 January.

Advocate Eklas Uddin Bhuiyan stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Motahar Hossain Saju represented the state and senior lawyer Abdul Matin Khasru argued for Star Plus and Star Jalsha while Barrister Samsul Hasan for Zee Bangla.   

On 7 August, 2014, Advocate Syeda Shahin Ara Laily filed the writ in the form of public interest litigation seeking to stop the operation of the three Indian TV channels being aired in Bangladesh, arguing that those have been making an adverse impact on the social life of the country’s people.

The petitioner, in her writ petition, also noted that the operation of the Indian satellite channels should be banned here as Bangladeshi television channels are not allowed to be aired in India.

On October 19, 2014, the HC issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks as to why it should not directed to ask the cable operators to stop airing the three Indian satellite television channels.

Earlier on August 26 of the same year, a separate High Court division bench had rejected the same PIL writ petition ‘as being not pressed’.