Amar Desh served with legal notice
Asked to apologise for malicious report
Staff Correspondent
A legal notice has been sent to the editor, publisher and a reporter of the daily Amar Desh for publishing a false, malicious and defamatory report about The Daily Star, Prothom Alo and Transcom Group.
The notice asked Amar Desh editor Ataus Samad, publisher Hasmot Ali and the correspondent concerned to immediately withdraw the false, malicious and defamatory report published in the daily (Amar Desh), to beg unconditional public apology and to publish the full rejoinder earlier sent to them.
Dr Kamal Hossain and Associates, on September 7 last, served the notice on behalf of Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, The Daily Star editor-publisher Mahfuz Anam and Chairman and Managing Director of Transcom Group Latifur Rahman
The notice states that appropriate legal action will be taken against the respondents (editor, publisher and reporter of Amar Desh), if they don't act as per demands mentioned in the notice.
According to the statement of the legal notice, following the publication of a false, malicious and defamatory piece by Amar Desh on 3rd September 2008 on the front page, their clients had sent a rejoinder on the same date demanding the withdrawal of the report, unconditional public apology and printing the full rejoinder.
On 5th September Amar Desh published an abridged version of the said rejoinder and instead of either withdrawing the piece or apologising for it, it added a "correspondent' s reply" which stated that "no false or distorted information was given deliberately" . The correspondent' s reply also added more unsubstantiated allegations against Latifur Rahman. In both instances, of the Amar Desh report on 3rd. September and in the correspondent' s reply of 5th September no attempt was made to seek or "obtain any communication from our clients regarding any of the allegations made therein".
The legal notice concluded by stating that the three aforementioned demands be met "within the next three days" and further stating that "In default we are instructed to take appropriate legal action for the full cost and consequences of which you shall stand liable".
