The  Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) got 14 more days from the High Court to shut the unregistered news portals.

According to the court’s order the deadline for closing all unregistered online news portals was today but BTRC didn’t receive a list of those portals from the Ministry of Information  on time, Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar told UNB.

To avoid contempt of court and maintain the deadline BTRC itself made a list and started closing unregistered  news portals today and few registered ones got closed during the process,” said the minister.

Read: BTRC shuts 59 unregistered, illegal IPTVs

Later the registered news portals were opened and 14 more days were sought from the court to close the unregistered ones,he said.

“The Information Minister has said a list of unregistered online news portals will be sent within two or three days from the ministry and BTRC will start the closure process accordingly,” said Mustafa Jabbar.

On September 14, a High Court bench ordered to shut all the unregistered online news portals within a week and asked BTRC and Bangladesh press Council to take action accordingly.

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On August 16, the High Court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why directives should not be given to shut down the unauthorized news portals.

The HC also sought to know why the directives should not be given to take steps in forming a ‘Broadcasting Commission’ as per the National Broadcasting Policy-2014.