DHAKA: The appellate division of the Supreme Court accepted the appeal petition by Prothom Alo against High Court order fining the editor, publisher and two reporters of Prothom Alo for contempt of court for running reports that incumbent additional HC judge Faisal Mahmud Faizee ‘tampered’ with his law examination results.

Through this, the Prothom Alo journalists won`t have to pay the penalty.

The four-member of the Appellate Division Bench, headed by Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, passed the order.

But Bhorer Kagoj’s former editor Abed Khan and Publisher Saber Hossain Chowdhury, reporter Samaresh Baidya have to pay fine ordered by the High Court.
 
Barrister Azmalul Hossain, QC stood for Faizee while Dr Kamal Hossain for the appeal petition.

Earlier on March 21 in 2005, the HC convicted and fined Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and then Publisher Mahfuz Anam and its two reporters — Enamul Haq Bulbul and Masud Milad — Tk 1,000 each, failing of which they are to suffer one month in prison.
 
The two dailies published reports on October 30, 2004 that Additional Judge of the High Court Faisal Mahmud Faizee had tampered with his LLB results that he obtained from the Chittagong University (CU) in 1989.

BDST: 1043 HRS, MAR 13, 2014