The High Court today (January 09, 2024) asked Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulation Commission (BTRC) to remove the distorted re-composition of Bangladesh’s National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s timeless song “Karar Oi Louho Kopat” from all online platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.
The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order after hearing a writ petition.
Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir, on behalf of ten lawyers of the Supreme Court and a human rights organisation Law and Live Foundation Trust, filed the writ petition on December 6.
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Secretaries to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Information and Communication Technology Ministry, Cultural Affairs Ministry, Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulation Commission and Kabi Nazrul Institute were made respondents.
On November 19, Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir sent a legal notice to the respondents seeking directives to remove the “distorted” re-composition of the national poet’s song from all online platforms.
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The original composer and lyricist of the song is National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, according to the writ petition. Renowned Indian music composer AR Rahman re-composed the song which is used in the film “Pippa.”
“Karar Oi Louho Kopat” is an immortal song and generations of listeners will be confused if both the familiar tune composed by Bangladesh’s national poet and the “distorted” version are available on online platforms, reads the writ.