A case has been filed against Sanjida Islam Tulee, the BNP-nominated candidate for the Dhaka-14 constituency and a key coordinator of Maayer Daak, a platform representing families of enforced disappearance victims, on allegations of hurting religious sentiments.

The complaint was submitted on Wednesday before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman by a businessman, Hossain Mohammad Anwar alias Anwar Hossain.

After recording the plaintiff’s statement, the court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to carry out an inquiry.

According to the case documents, Tulee allegedly made disparaging remarks about the Islamic provision of marriage, thereby insulting Islam and hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims.

The complaint references Article 41 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religious practice as a fundamental right. It notes that marriage is regarded as an important religious rite in Islam and cites a Quranic verse that permits a Muslim man to marry up to four wives.

It also mentioned the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, which mandates the application of Islamic Shariah in matters such as marriage, maintenance, and divorce for Muslim citizens.

“While an individual may choose not to practice religion, no one has the right to insult religion or hurt religious beliefs,” the case statement reads.

It said that such acts may be punishable under Section 295(A) of the Penal Code.