ex-state minister Murad ordered to appear before court

A court in Jamalpur has ordered former state minister for information Dr Murad Hasan to appear before it and directed that a newspaper notice be published after he failed to respond to earlier summons in a defamation case.

The order was issued by Senior Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman of the Sarishabari Amli Court on Wednesday. Two other accused in the case were also ordered to appear.

The case was filed by Lion Rumel Sarkar, vice-president of the Jamalpur District Truck Owners Association and a former Chhatra Dal leader. It alleges that Murad made defamatory and obscene remarks about former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, current prime minister and BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, and Zaima Rahman during a talk show streamed on YouTube and Facebook.

According to the plaintiff’s lawyer, the court had taken cognisance of the case and issued summons in May last year. As the accused did not appear, the court has now ordered publication of notices. If they continue to remain absent, proceedings may continue in their absence.

The court had previously issued arrest warrants against the accused after they failed to comply with the summons.