Drik Gallery founder and eminent photographer Shahidul Alam has been released from jail after more than three months.
He was released from the Dhaka Central Jail around 8:30pm on Tuesday (Nov 20) after all the formalities were completed, Jailer Mahabubul Islam told Bangla Tribune.
On Nov 15, the High Court granted bail to Alam in the case filed under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act for spreading ‘propaganda’ through his Facebook account during the safer road protest.
Oct 7, the HC issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain within seven days as to why Alam should not be granted bail in the case.
On Sept 11, a Dhaka court denied bail to the photographer.
Alam filed a bail petition with the HC on Aug 28 through his lawyers.
On Sept 4, a judge of a two-member HC bench felt ‘embarrassed’ to hear the bail petition in the case.
On the same day, the HC bench forwarded the petition to the Chief Justice for a decision.
On Sept 5, the HC directed the authorities concerned to provide first-class division to the photographer in jail after hearing the writ petition.
Founder of Drik Gallery, Pathshala and the South-Asian Media Institute, Shahidul was arrested in a case filed under Section 57 of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act on Aug 5, few hours after he had given an interview to Qatar-based television channel Al Jazeera on the student protests for road safety.