HC clears way for resuming Sylheter Dak

The High Court today cleared the way for the authorities concerned to resume running publication of the Sylheter Dak, the highest-circulating local daily in Sylhet region.

The court stayed the government’s decision to cancel the declaration of the local daily owned by industrialist Ragib Ali and his son Abdul Hye.

Sylhet district administration cancelled the declaration on June 15 this year as its publisher Ragib Ali and Abdul Hye were found guilty of forging legal documents for grabbing an endowed property in Sylhet and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan stayed the cancellation of the declaration of the Sylheter Dak following a writ petition filed by Ragib Ali challenging the legality of cancellation of the newspaper.

Ragib Ali’s lawyer Advocate AM Aminuddin told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar for his client to run the publication of Sylheter Dak following the HC order.

The HC passed the stay order on the ground that Ragib Ali and his son Abdul Hye are now on bail granted by the HC.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court also upheld the HC order of bail, he added.

The Sylheter Dak was launched in 1984 and used to have a daily circulation of more than 10,000 copies.

Barrister Abdul Halim Kafi also appeared for Ragib Ali while Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder stood for the state.