DHAKA: The Supreme Court set October 11 as the next date of hearing on a contempt of court charge against detained acting editor of the Amar Desh Mahmudur Rahman.

A six-member full bench, headed by chief justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim adjourned the hearing till the date Tuesday as Mahmudur appealed for time extension for replying to the rule.

Mahmudur Rahman was produced on Tuesday morning before the Appellate Division in connection with the charge.

The Supreme Court on August 17 issued the contempt-of-court rule against Mahmudur Rahman and Desh publisher Hashmat Ali for publishing a commentary in the daily in response to a petition filed by SC lawyers Mohammad Riazuddin Khan and Kazi Mainul Hassain.

In the rule the apex court gave them up to August 24 (Tuesday) to explain why they “should not be punished” for publishing the report titled ‘Swadhin bicharer name tamasa’ meaning ‘farce in the name of independent judiciary’ in the paper on May 10.

The defendants` lawyer Rafiqul Islam Miah Tuesday also prayed for the unconditional release of publisher Hashmat Ali.

Earlier on August 19, Mahmudur Rahman awarded six months’ imprisonment by the country’s apex court for for publishing a report in the daily on April 21 with the headline ‘Chamber manei sarker pakkhe stay’ or chamber bench means stay order in favour of the government.

The Supreme Court also fined the former energy adviser-turned-editor to pay Tk 1 lakh or suffer one more month in jail in default.

BDST: 1330HRS, AUG 24, 2010