Logo
×

Follow Us

Bangladesh

Khadija sits for exam shortly after release from jail

UNB, Jagannath University

Published: 20 Nov 2023, 03:32 PM

Khadija sits for exam shortly after release from jail

Khadijatul Kubra. Photo Courtesy: UNB

A A

Khadijatul Kubra, a student of Jagannath University (JnU) who was released from Kashimpur central jail securing bail in two Digital Security Act (DSA) cases on Monday morning, sat for an examination shortly after her release. 

Khadija was released from Kashimpur Women's Prison around 9am and went directly to the university to take part in the semester final exam. 

Although the exam started at 10am, she entered the hall around 11:30am. She sat the exam in the fourth semester with two semesters lost.

Her elder sister Sirajum Monira said, "We came to the prison early in the morning. Then Khadija was released around 9am. Her semester final exam starts today, that is why we came early in the morning."

Khadija secured bail last Thursday. The bail order reached the jail authorities on Sunday evening. 

Despite waiting for a long time on Sunday, her relatives had to return without her because she was not given permission to be released.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday upheld a High Court (HC) order that granted her bail in two cases under the DSA in 2020.

In October 2020, the police filed two cases against Khadija and retired Maj Delowar Hossain with Kalabagan and New Market police stations for “spreading anti-government propaganda and harming Bangladesh's reputation.”

The allegations in the two cases filed a week apart were similar.

The police arrested Khadija on September 17, 2022. She had been in jail since then.

According to the case details, Khadija and Delowar conspired to broadcast false, fabricated, and defamatory propaganda about the prime minister, various government agencies, and senior state officials in order to oust the country's legitimate administration. 

They were aiming to destroy communal harmony through their conspiracy by promoting enmity, hatred, and division among various communities, it said.

Khadija was 17 when the cases were filed under the Digital Security Act in 2020, but the case was filed showing her as an adult, according to her lawyer. Despite having kidney disease, Khadija's bail petitions were repeatedly denied by a Dhaka court.

On February 23 this year, Khadija was granted bail by the High Court in the cases. The state filed a petition challenging the bail.

On July 10, the Appellate Division suspended the bail of Kubra for four months in two cases.

During the hearing, Khadija's lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua argued that she was not accountable for the opinions expressed by guests in videos on her YouTube channel.

Read More