Jamaat MP Amir Hamza gets anticipatory bail in defamation case

The High Court (HC) granted eight weeks’ anticipatory bail to Kushtia-3 lawmaker and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mufti Amir Hamza in a defamation case filed over alleged derogatory remarks about Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.

The bench of Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher passed the order on Monday (April 27) after a hearing.

Earlier in the day, Hamza appeared before the court for the hearing.

The court also issued a rule asking the government to explain why Amir Hamza should not be granted permanent bail in the case.

Earlier, a petition was filed by Amir Hamza seeking bail. Senior Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir and Advocate Md Saddam Hossen appeared for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Ashiquzzaman Nazrul represented the state during the hearing.

​According to the case statement, Amir Hamza, during a pre-Juma discussion at a mosque in Kushtia Sadar on March 27, allegedly described the minister as an “atheist and anti-Islamic.”

Humayun Kabir, additional public prosecutor of Sirajganj District and general secretary of the District Bar Association, filed the defamation case against Amir Hamza on April 2 under sections 296, 500, and 504 of the Penal Code.

Legal proceedings in the case remain ongoing.