Legal notice to scrap ICT Act sections

A Supreme Court lawyer has sent a legal notice to the government seeking repeal of Sections 57 and 86 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act. Lawyer Younus Ali Akhand sent the notice by post to the secretaries of Cabinet Division and ministries of law and information on Wednesday. It said that a writ petition would be filed in the High Court if measures to scrap the ICT Act sections were not initiated within 24 hours.
The ICT Act passed in 2006 and was amended twice in 2009 and 2013. In the last amendment, offences under the Section 57 were made non-bailable and the maximum penalty was extended to 14 years imprisonment. Section 57 of the law criminalises ‘publishing fake, obscene or defaming information in electronic form.’ Offence under this provision of the ICT Act is punishable by minimum of seven years in prison maximum of 14 years. Fine can be as high as Tk 10 million. Section 86 provides indemnity to public servants involved in implementing this Act. Rights activists have been vocal against these legal provisions, saying this effectively muzzles the freedom of speech and expression. Forum of print media editors, the Editors’ Council has also demanded scrapping of Section 57, according to bdnews24.com.
- biplab