Former ICT Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak instructed his lawyers to speak less during his remand hearing in court.

On Monday, shortly after 10 AM, Palak was brought before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court, where he was placed in the dock. The investigating officer in the case then applied for a seven-day remand.

The public prosecutor argued in favor of granting the remand, while defense lawyers Advocate Farzana Yasmin Rakhi and Tariqul Islam appealed for the remand to be canceled. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted a four-day remand.

During the remand hearing, Palak requested his lawyers to speak less. Later, he greeted everyone present in the courtroom with “Eid Mubarak.”

On February 19, while being taken from the courtroom to the detention cell, Palak told journalists, “Speaking up only increases remand. If my lawyers speak, the remand period extends.”

On March 10, when he was presented before the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court for formal arrest in an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) case, Palak told journalists, “Speaking up only increases the number of cases. They keep me handcuffed behind my back. What’s the point of talking?”

After today's remand hearing, Palak’s lawyer, Advocate Tariqul Islam, stated that Palak was concerned about receiving a fair trial. He mentioned that Palak feared speaking too much during the hearing might lead to an extended remand, which is why he made such remarks.

According to court sources, Palak’s remand was granted in connection with the Obaidul murder case under Jatrabari Police Station in the capital, which stemmed from an anti-discrimination movement. The remand order was issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate G.M. Farhan Ishtiaq.

On August 14, while in hiding, Junaid Ahmed Palak was arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) police from the Nikunja Residential Area under Khilkhet Police Station in Dhaka. Since then, he has been shown as arrested in multiple cases and repeatedly taken into remand. He is currently being held at Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.