Pinaki Bhattacharya, an online activist, and Mofizur Rahman Ashiq, a former joint secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra Dal, have been exonerated from charges in a case filed under the Digital Security Act with the Ramna Model Police Station in Dhaka.
The ruling was handed down by Judge Nure Alam of the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal, who dismissed the charges, opting not to accept the charge sheet submitted.
On Thursday (31 October) Public Prosecutor Md Rafiqul Islam informed the tribunal of this decision.
According to court sources, the charge sheet had been scheduled for review on 9 October.
However, after an evaluation, the judge ordered the exoneration of both individuals.
The case originated on 15 October 2022, when Sub-Inspector Md Abdullahil Maruf of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed a complaint at the Ramna Police Station.
Three individuals, including Bhattacharya, were implicated in the case, with Mofizur Rahman and Mushfiqur Fazal Ansari listed as co-defendants.
Following an investigation, CTTC Sub-Inspector Mohammad Rahat Hossain submitted a charge sheet against two of the accused to the court on 7 March. The case was subsequently transferred to the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal for trial.
The complaint alleged that on 14 October 2022, the CTTC unit became aware of a social media post shared on Facebook, which reportedly contained misinformation about police personnel.
The post was cited as grounds for filing charges, with Rahman being apprehended from his Pallabi residence on 15 October. Authorities seized two of Rahman's mobile phones during his arrest.
In the case, CTTC's City Intelligence Analysis Unit Sub-Inspector KM Abdullah Hil Maruf stated that Mofizur Rahman had used a fake Facebook account to communicate with various individuals via Messenger, including Bhattacharya and Ansari.
The complaint accused Rahman of distorting an incident involving a police operation in Mirpur.
