Senior lawyer Shamsuddoha Suman told the court that another accused in the case, Hasanul Haq Inu, had also made similar derogatory remarks while in power. He described Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik as an arrogant individual who, he claimed, had brought disgrace to Bangladesh’s judicial system. Suman further said that God had brought Manik before the court in a humiliating manner.

After the prosecution concluded its arguments, Rashed Khan Menon removed his hand from the iron railing and stood upright. He then glanced back at former justice Manik and gave a slight smile. At that moment, Justice Shamsuddin Choudhury also appeared to smile.

Following the prosecution’s submissions, Manik’s lawyer, Naimul Haque Majumder, told the court that the case was entirely false. He said Justice Manik had always shown respect to Ziaur Rahman and all national leaders of Bangladesh, and claimed that the allegations were completely fabricated.

Majumder also argued that freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by the state. He said filing cases over comments made on talk shows amounted to nothing more than harassment.

Later, the court formally recorded the arrest of Menon and Manik, and set a later date for the next hearing in the presence of Hasanul Haq Inu.

The defamation case was filed on August 22, 2024, in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saiful Islam by a lawyer named Ziaul Haq. Hasanul Haq Inu, president of JASAD, is also an accused in the case.

According to the complaint, on October 3, 2022, Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik described Ziaur Rahman as a “Razakar” and a war criminal during a talk show titled Metrosem to the Point on Channel i. It also alleges that at a seminar on February 15, 2021, Manik claimed Ziaur Rahman was not a freedom fighter but an infiltrator during the Liberation War.

The case further states that on July 19, 2013, at a separate event, Hasanul Haq Inu and Rashed Khan Menon made negative remarks about Ziaur Rahman. The accused are also alleged to have made disparaging comments about the Zia family on various occasions.

The plaintiff claims that these defamatory statements caused financial damage amounting to Tk 3 billion to him and his political party, the BNP.