A court in Gazipur has rejected the bail petition of Sifat Abdullah, 25, who was arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act over alleged derogatory remarks concerning Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The bail hearing took place on Monday (7 September) at Gazipur Metropolitan Court-5. After hearing submissions from both the prosecution and the defence, Judge Rakibul Hasan rejected the application.
Sifat’s lawyer, Rashedul Islam, said the bail petition was filed at the court on Monday morning. The prosecution opposed the application during the hearing, after which the court considered arguments from both sides before turning down the request.
The defence has indicated that it will seek bail from the sessions court following the decision of the metropolitan court.
According to Metropolitan Court Public Prosecutor Advocate Siddiqur Rahman, a case has been filed against Sifat under the Anti-Terrorism Act. He alleged that Sifat had worked as part of the agenda of the Awami League government and had acted on behalf of what he described as fascist forces before 5 August.
The defence has disputed the context presented by the prosecution. Sifat’s lawyer said his client had made the social media video out of frustration over what he considered unusually high electricity bills at his home.
The case centres on a Facebook video posted by Sifat last Thursday. Police and local sources said the video was 1 minute and 24 seconds long and contained allegedly abusive and derogatory remarks directed at Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the Home Minister and other individuals associated with the government.
The video also featured Sifat discussing his household electricity bill. According to his claim, the bill for the current month was Tk4,000, while the previous month’s bill had amounted to Tk5,000. He reportedly argued that the charges were disproportionately high compared with his normal electricity consumption.
The video subsequently circulated on social media, drawing attention to his comments and prompting police action. Sifat was later detained and shown arrested in the case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act before being produced before the court.
The court had previously ordered Sifat to be sent to jail on 3 September. His subsequent bail application has now been rejected at the metropolitan court level.
Sifat Abdullah is the son of Sikandar Ali of the Tin-er Mosque area in Ward 38 of Gazipur Metropolitan City. He is a student at Adamjee Cantonment College in Dhaka.
The case has drawn attention because it began with Sifat’s public expression of dissatisfaction over his household electricity bill but later developed into a criminal proceeding under the Anti-Terrorism Act following allegations concerning the contents of his social media video.
For the defence, the central argument is that the video originated from his frustration over electricity charges. The prosecution, meanwhile, has presented a broader allegation concerning his alleged activities and the nature of his remarks.
With the metropolitan court refusing bail, the next legal step is expected to be an application before the sessions court. The subsequent proceedings will determine how the case develops and whether Sifat is granted relief at a higher judicial level.
