High Court suspends Somoy TV broadcast for 7 days
The High Court has suspended the telecast of private TV channel Somoy TV for seven days following a writ petition by Shampa Rahman, managing director of Somoy Media Ltd.
The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Sashanka Shekhar Sarkar issued the suspension order today, also issuing a show-cause notice upon the channel, demanding an explanation within seven days for why it should not be permanently shut down.
Senior lawyer Ahsanul Karim represented the petitioner. He explained that the writ was filed to protect the channel's editorial independence.
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The suspension comes after recent changes in the channel's management, where Ahmed Jobaer was removed from his position as managing director and CEO of Somoy TV and replaced by Shampa Rahman on behalf of City Group.
The channel is owned by Somoy Media Limited, a subsidiary of the City Group.
Reacting to the suspension, Ahmed Jobaer told TBS, "We are not aware of this writ. The writ was filed without informing us. We will go to the Appellate Division, seeking a stay order on the High Court decision."
Jobaer's lawyer, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, argued that the broadcast should not be halted until the matter is resolved in the appeal.
He told the media, "City Group used to provide funds to Awami League. They are concerned about their factories being targeted, which is why they want to shut down Somoy TV. This is not a valid reason. If there are issues, they should be addressed, but shutting down a television channel is not the solution."
Barrister Mahbub also mentioned that there is a pending case in the Company Bench of the High Court concerning the ownership and management of Somoy TV, with a hearing scheduled for August 22.
He noted that a previous plea to shut down the channel was denied, and a new petition was filed in a different court.
He added, "A writ petition was filed in another court to stop the broadcast of Somoy TV without disclosing the pending case. The judge was unaware of this when it was brought to their attention. We are considering appealing to the chamber court against the High Court's order."
Barrister Mahbub further added if they received the High Court order by today, they will appeal tomorrow. "We hope the broadcast will not be stopped until the matter is resolved."
