Staff Correspondent

The High Court yesterday granted bail to a local journalist of Khulna, MA Sabur Rana, in a case filed under the controversial Digital Security Act (DSA), clearing the way for him to walk out of jail.

The bench of Justice JBM Hassan granted the bail to Sabur, Khulna’s Rampal correspondent of the Daily Loksomaj and also the president of Rampal Press Club, until further order following a bail petition filed by him.

There is no legal bar for Sabur to get released from jail following the HC order, his lawyer Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain told The Daily Star.

He said the HC bench granted bail to Sabur as the principal accused of the case, Abu Tayub Munshi, was granted bail by another bench earlier.

Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy told this correspondent that the higher authorities concerned are yet to decide whether any appeal will be moved before the Supreme Court challenging the HC order.

On April 20, Talukdar Abdul Khalek, mayor of Khulna City Corporation, filed the case against journalists -- Sabur and Munshi, Khulna correspondent of NTV -- under DSA for posting statuses on their personal Facebook accounts against him. Munshi was arrested the very night of filing the case and got bail after serving 21 days in jail.

On June 3, Sabur appeared before the Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 to seek bail in the case. But, Judge Shahidul Islam sent him to jail after rejecting his bail petition.