Court allows Channel 1 to file appeal against HC order, paving way to get back its frequency
Channel 1’s Managing Director Giasuddin Mamun welcomed the court’s decision
Nearly 15 years after its closure, Channel 1 has been allowed to file a leave-to-appeal against a High Court an order that dismissed a petition challenging a ban order on its frequency allocation, effectively shutting it down.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court gave permission to the channel today (23 January) after hearing a writ petition that challenged the High Court order that dismissed a case against Hasina's directive, reads a press statement, citing Channel 1's Legal Officer Mizan-ul-Haque.
Channel 1's Managing Director Giasuddin Mamun welcomed the court's decision.
Advocate Md Masum Billah, the lawyer representing Channel 1, said, "Justice has been served."
"On 27 April 2010, on the orders of the then illegal prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the BTRC stopped allocating frequency to Channel One… When a case was filed against the then-fascist government at the time, the High Court dismissed the application directly on the wrongful orders of the then government," the press statement reads.
Today, the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division has allowed an appeal against the High Court's dismissal after 15 years, it adds.
During today's hearing, senior lawyer advocate Ruhul Kuddus Kajal, Palash Chandra Roy, Md Masum Billah, and Barrister Maruf Ibrahim represented the satellite channel.