File photo
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court verdict that rejected photographer Shahidul Alam's writ petition challenging the legality of the investigation into a case filed against him under section 57 of the now-abolished ICT act.
A five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique dismissed a leave to appeal petition filed by Shahidul.
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Other judges of the bench are Justice Md Nuruzzaman, Justice Obaidul Hassan, Justice Borhanuddin and Justice M Enayetur Rahim.
Full text of the apex court order has not been released yet.
Senior lawyer Fida M Kamal represented Shahidul while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state during the hearing.
The HC on December 14 last year rejected the writ petition filed by Shahidul, an internationally acclaimed photographer, saying the petition was not acceptable for criminal case proceedings.
On March 3, 2019, Shahidul filed the writ petition challenging the legality of the investigation into the case, in which he was imprisoned for 107 days.
On August 5, 2018, Shahidul, founder of Drik Gallery and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, was picked up from his Dhanmondi home during a widespread demonstration for safe roads.
Police lodged the case against him under section 57 of the ICT act, which was abolished later on through formulation of the Digital Security Act, 2018, and produced him before a Dhaka court the following day.
On November 15, 2018, HC granted Shahidul bail.
