ICT contempt ruling can be challenged: HC

The High Court today observed that a person can appeal to the Supreme Court against a conviction ruling handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal for contempt.

The Appellate Division has inherent power under Article-104 of the constitution to do complete justice in any case, the court said.

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akond came up with the observations after disposing of a writ petition jointly filed by 12 eminent personalities challenging the legality of two provisions of ICT Act, 1973 which does not permit a person to move appeal against the tribunal’s judgment convicting him or her in a contempt of court case.

Following the High Court order, there is no legal bar for the ICT-2 to continue the trial proceedings against the 23 eminent personalities, including the 12 petitioners facing contempt of court charges, petitioners’ lawyer Rashna Imam told The Daily Star that

Details of the High Court order could not be known immediately as court was yet to release the full text of the order.

Twelve eminent personalities, who face contempt of court charge with the International Crimes Tribunal-2, filed a writ petition on April 22 with the High Court where they prayed to the HC for staying the contempt proceedings against them.

The ICT-2 had issued contempt of court notice against the petitioners and several others for issuing a statement criticising the conviction of Dhaka-based British journalist David Bergman.

On December 2 last year, the tribunal found Bergman, editor (special reports) of The New Age, guilty of contempt for two of his blogs on the verdict of Abul Kalam Azad, also known as Bachchu Razakar.