Section 32 not to harass any journo

Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said a subsection would be included in Section 32 of the proposed Digital Security Act, 2018 if that was necessary for protecting investigative journalism.  

He said the step would be taken in the public interest.

“I can assure that no journalist will be harassed by Section 32 of the Digital Security Act, as this law is not being formulated targeting journalists,” he said. “If any journalist is affected by Section 32, I will launch a legal fight on behalf of the journalist for free.”

The law minister, also a lawyer by profession, was replying to questions from reporters at a “meet the press” programme organised by Law Reporters Forum (LRF) at Dhaka Reporters' Unity.

LRF President Ashutosh Sarkar presided over the programme which was attended by the forum's former and present leaders as well as a number of journalists and law ministry officials.

Anisul claimed that Section 32 of the proposed act would not hamper investigative journalism as “it is not the duty of the journalists to spy”.

“If anybody sends secret information of the government to its enemy or to any foreign country, it will be considered as spying, which is an offence according to the law,” he said.

On January 29, the cabinet approved the draft of the Digital Security Act, 2018, which included most parts of the controversial Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act.

Section 57 deals with defamation, hurting religious sentiments, causing deterioration of law and order and instigating against any person or organisation through publishing or transmitting any material in websites or in electronic form. It provides for punishment of a maximum of 14 years in prison.

The draft of Digital Security Act, 2018, being dubbed “the emerging media-gagging law”, splits these offences into four separate sections with punishment ranging from three to 10 years' term.

Journalists and rights defenders fear the freedom of the press and expression was put to the sword due to the proposed digital security law. They say there will be every chance of the act being misused against the people's right to express themselves after its passage in the Jatiya Sangsad.

They also feel duped by the government as Section 57 of the ICT Act was kept in the proposed law with some changes despite assurances in the past of scrapping the controversial provision

Replying to another query yesterday, the law minister said the proper authorities would investigate the allegations of corruption raised against the immediate past chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

The law would take its own course and it is equal for all, he said.

In reply to the next question, Anisul said the trial in the corruption cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was being conducted on the basis of documents and evidence and the judges would deliver their verdicts taking all those facts into consideration.

The statement by Khaleda alleging that the country's lower courts were in the grip of the government and they did not have the power to deliver proper judgments is completely false, he said.

In response to another query, the minister said the formulation of a law for the recruitment of Supreme Court judges was “under process”.

ANISUL MEETS CJ

The law minister yesterday expressed his hope that Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain would take a step to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of irregularities in the functions of the High Court and corruption against its officials and employees as cited by the attorney general.

He expressed the hope while talking to reporters after making a courtesy call on the newly-appointed CJ at his Supreme Court office in the afternoon.

“I have met the chief justice to congratulate him. I had earlier met the then chief justices -- Justice Md Muzammel Hossain and Surendra Kumar Sinha -- when they were appointed as the chief justice as the law ministry acts as a bridge among the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

“I told the chief justice that an inquiry needs to be conducted into the allegation mentioned by the attorney general. I hope, the chief justice will take steps in this regard”, he said.

Citing irregularities in the judicial and administrative functions of the HC, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on February 4 said “the judiciary had seen degradation” in the last few years, and the image of the HC had changed.

The image of the whole judiciary is being damaged by some HC judges' failure in running their courts properly, he said, adding that a number of court officials and employees were involved in “corruption”.