A virtual court in Dhaka today again rejected the bail petition of cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and writer Mushtaq Ahmed in a case filed against them under the Digital Security Act.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka passed the order after their lawyer submitted a petition, seeking bail through an email against the rejection order of the lower court.

On June 16, Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim rejected both the remand and bail petitions of Kishore, Mushtaq and two others and allowed police to interrogate them at jail gate for two days within seven working days.

During today's hearing, the defence lawyer told the court that their clients were arrested on May 5 and have been in jail custody ever since. They were implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to harass, and so, they should be granted bail, the lawyer added.

On the other hand, Assistant Commissioner Md Farid Ahmed opposed the defence pleas saying the charges brought against them are found to be true and appealed to the court to reject their bail petition.

Eleven people -- including the four arrestees -- were charged with "spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities" on May 6.

Rab-3 Assistant Director Abu Bakar Siddique said Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist Tasneem Khalil who runs Netra News, US-based journalist Shahed Alam and blogger Asif Mohiuddin are also among those named in the case.

According to the FIR, Kishore was picked up on May 5 from his Kakrail home. It is mentioned that upon interrogation, he disclosed the name of Mushtaq who was then apprehended from his Lalmatia house on the same day. However, Mushtaq's family alleged that he was picked up in the early hours of May 4.

Kishore and Mushtaq landed in jail after they were produced before a Dhaka court on May 6.

Later, two more accused -- Didarul Islam Bhuiyan, an activist on a platform called 'Rastrachinta', and businessman Minhaj Mannan Emon -- were also arrested and are now in jail custody.

Later, two more accused-- Didarul Islam Bhuiyan, an activist on a platform called 'Rastrachinta', and businessman Minhaj Mannan Emon--were also arrested and are now in jail custody.