Defamation case filed against BSS MD Mahbub Morshed and two others for Tk 10 crore

Staff Reporter

A defamation lawsuit seeking Tk 10 crore in damages has been filed against Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Managing Editor Mahbub Morshed and two others by Daily Jugantor Editor Abdul Hai Shikdar.

The case was filed on March 23, Sunday, at the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Zia Uddin in Dhaka. The court recorded the plaintiff’s statement and issued summons for the defendants to appear in court on April 28.

The other accused in the case are former joint general secretary of Dhaka Journalists Union Khairul Alam and Asaduzzaman Asad.

In his complaint, the plaintiff stated: “I have lived a clean life. The defendants have tarnished my image, honor, and dignity by posting false, fabricated, and absurd content on Facebook. They falsely claimed I wrote poems against Khaleda Zia and in favor of Ershad, which I never wrote. Anyone can see I don’t write such third-class poetry.”

The complaint further alleges that on March 17, accused Mahbub Morshed posted a fabricated poem on his Facebook profile and falsely attributed it to Abdul Hai Shikdar.

The post’s caption read: “I urge everyone to read how this Bangladeshi poet has insulted Begum Khaleda Zia. Despite harboring such hatred, these poets still want to enjoy BNP’s privileges.”

Additionally, accused Khairul Alam allegedly posted the same poem on his Facebook account on January 16, claiming: “He (Abdul Hai Shikdar) presented this poem about Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia as a gift to Ershad.” Similar allegations have been made against accused Asaduzzaman Asad for sharing the same poem.

Abdul Hai Shikdar asserts that these claims are entirely false, baseless, fabricated, and malicious.

He claims that these fabricated and misleading poems and posts have caused him reputational damage worth Tk 10 crore.

As per the court’s order, the defendants must appear in court on April 28.