DHAKA: Bangla daily ‘Sangram’ Editor Abul Asad and its Rangpur correspondent Nuruzzaman apologized again on Sunday before International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 for publishing report on an under trail case.

However, former freedom fighter commander Ikramul Haque Dulu and former Chhatra League leader Advocate Azizur Rahman Sarker Ranga also apologized in this regards.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim fixed the next hearing date on November 20.

They appeared at the court in response to a rule that “why the court will not order to take steps against them for the contempt of court for publishing a report”.

Asad, Nuruzzaman and Ikramul submitted their written pleas through their lawyer Mashiuzzaman. They claimed that the report was mistakenly published, which was unexpected.

However, Azizur submitted the plea in person and claimed that he did not know anything about the published report.

He also claimed that he did not give any statement to daily ‘Sangram’ as well as he did not subscribe it. Even then, he did not talk to any reporter of the daily.

During the deposition in the case of Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general ATM Azharul on August 3, the tribunal issued the rule against the four people and asked for their response to the rule.

Later, the tribunal set the hearing date on Sunday.

Earlier, on December 27, 2013, ‘Sngram’ published the report quoting Ikramul and Azizur as saying “we did not hear the name of Azhar as Rajakar commander in 1971” and “there was no student leader named Azhar in Rangpur Carmichael College from 1969 to 1974”.

The tribunal issued a suo-moto the rule while the defenders submitted the report as a document in favor of Azhar.

The tribunal said the deposition started on December 26, 2013 and the report published on the following day that was the violation of law.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s mouthpiece daily ‘Sangram’ earlier apologized for publishing the report and its editor was also punished for this.

BDST: 1838 HRS, OCT 26, 2014/ Update 1919.