SC allows Channel 1 to resume broadcasting

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has suspended the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's (BTRC) decision to shut down the private television channel, Channel 1. As a result, the channel's broadcast can continue, according to the lawyers involved.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Senior Justice Ashfaqul Islam, issued the order on Monday morning, suspending the effectiveness of the High Court's ruling.

During the hearing, Channel 1 was represented by lawyers Md Ruhul Kuddus Kazol, Polash Chandra Roy, Kazi Akhtar Hossain, Mohammad Masum Billah, and Maruf Ibrahim Akash.

Later, Ruhul Kuddus Kazol told reporters that the order removed all legal barriers to Channel 1's reopening after 16 years.

The broadcast of Channel 1 was halted on April 27, 2010, after the Awami League government came to power. The BTRC had stopped allocating frequencies for the channel, and its authorities had filed a petition with the High Court, which was dismissed.

At the time, the government stated that Channel 1 had sold imported broadcasting equipment without permission, leading to the channel's closure.

Channel 1 is owned by businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, a close associate of Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.