The High Court on Thursday permitted print, electronic, and social media to publish and broadcast statements made by BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman.

The bench, comprised of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Khairul Alam, overturned previous orders that had prohibited the media from covering Rahman's statements and lifted a rule issued in 2015 to this effect.

This decision came a day after Supreme Court lawyer Nashreen Siddiqua Lina, who had initially filed the writ petition, notified the court that she would no longer pursue the case.

The bench stated, "All ad-interim orders related to the writ petition are hereby recalled and vacated, and the rule is discharged." Barrister Kayser Kamal represented Tarique Rahman during today’s proceedings.

Advocate Nashreen Siddiqua Lina declined to comment on her decision to withdraw the petition.

Previously, on January 7, 2017, another High Court bench had directed the government to take immediate action to prevent the publication and broadcast of Tarique Rahman's statements as long as he remained a fugitive.

The bench also issued a rule requiring the authorities and media to explain why the publication of Tarique Rahman's statements should not be deemed illegal.

During the hearing on August 28 of the previous year, the High Court bench, consisting of Justice Md Khairuzzaman and Justice Md Khairul Alam, directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to immediately "remove or strike down" Tarique Rahman's statements from social media.

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