Journalists Barred from Entering Appellate Division Courtroom Without Prior Notice
Journalists are being barred from entering the Appellate Division courtroom of the Supreme Court without any prior notice.
Since yesterday, Wednesday, during court hours, Supreme Court employees have been preventing journalists and others—except lawyers—from entering the chief justice’s courtroom of the Appellate Division.
When contacted regarding the matter, an official of the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the restriction is being imposed on the instructions of Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury.
He said, “An official notice regarding the matter will be issued soon.”
He also stated that once the notice is issued, the reasons behind the restriction will become clear.
However, he could not confirm whether the decision would apply only to the Appellate Division or be enforced across the entire Supreme Court.
When asked about such a decision in light of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, the Supreme Court spokesperson declined to comment.
