Suspended Assistant Commissioner Tapashi Tabassum Urmi was granted bail in a defamation case after surrendering to the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Md. Imran Ahmed on Thursday morning (28 November).
Urmi appeared in court at 10:30am through her legal counsel and submitted a petition for bail. The hearing commenced at 11:23am, during which Urmi’s lawyers presented arguments in favour of her bail, while the plaintiff's counsel, Khademul Islam, opposed the plea.
After hearing both sides, the court granted Urmi bail against a surety bond of Tk5,000.
The defamation case was filed on 8 October by Abu Hanif, a senior member of the Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Higher Council and its media coordinator. The complaint alleged that Urmi made derogatory comments on 5 October regarding Shaheed Abu Sayeed and other martyrs, in addition to criticising the Nobel laureate Chief Adviser, Dr Muhammad Yunus, who headed a government established constitutionally via a student-led mass movement.
The plaintiff claimed that Urmi, in her capacity as a government official, posted inflammatory statements on Facebook against Dr Yunus and his government, which was legitimised by the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division. The comments, Hanif alleged, not only vilified the head of the government but also incited fear among the public by suggesting a threat of overthrowing the government.
After recording the plaintiff's statement, the court issued a summons on 8 October requiring Urmi to appear on 28 November, resulting in her court appearance and subsequent bail today.
