Contempt of court rule issued against lawyer Mohsin Rashid, journalist Kanak Sarwar

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday issued contempt of court notices against lawyer Mohammad Mohsin Rashid and expatriate journalist Kanak Sarwar for making objectionable comments about the judiciary, Supreme Court and International Criminal Tribunal.

An Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan issued the order after hearing an application brought against the two, based on their statements given in an online talk-show on June 21.

The duo has been directed to appear in court on August 29 to explain why their actions should not be considered as contempt of court and punishable.

The court has also ordered lawyer Mohsin Rashid to refrain from practicing law in both divisions of the Supreme Court until further notice.

Tapas Kanti Baul, the lawyer for the petitioner, said, "Although Advocate Mohsin Rashid apologized unconditionally, the Appellate Division rejected it. BTRC has been asked to take action to remove the video content from social media including Facebook and YouTube."

According to the petition, Journalist Kanak Sarwar hosted an online talk show on June 21, where lawyer Mohsin Rashid spoke as a guest. They discussed politics and judicial system on the show which was broadcasted on social media platforms.

Later, Educationist Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury filed a contempt of court complaint, stating that some of their statements given on the show that day were extremely derogatory and offensive.

Source: BSS