Full Name: Barrister Mainul Hosein

Affiliation: The New Nation

Current Position: Editor and Publisher

Date of Birth: January 1940

Date of Death: 9 December 2023

Place of Birth: Bangladesh

Home District: Pirojpur

Constituency: 128, Bakharganj-17

Term: First (1st-1973)

Nationality: Bangladeshi

Background:

Barrister Mainul Hosein (January 1940 - December 09, 2023) was a Bangladeshi prominent lawyer, politician and publisher of the daily newspaper The New Nation-the oldest English dailies in Bangladesh. He is the former chairman of the editorial board of The Daily Ittefaq, whose building was shelled and completely demolished on 25 March 1971 by Pakistan Army. He served as the law, information and land advisor to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh during January 2007 – January 2008.

Hosein was born to famous journalist and politician Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah. He earned his bachelor's in political science from the University of Dhaka in 1961. He joined Middle Temple to study law. He was called to the Bar in 1965 and became a Barrister-at-Law.

Hosein was elected to Parliament in 1973 from his village constituency at Bhandaria in the district of Pirojpur as a member of Awami League. He along with General Osmani resigned from the parliament in May 1975 after Sheikh Mujib abolished democracy in the country and instituted one-party system of government through the Fourth Amendment to the constitution.

After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, Mainul joined the Democratic League, led by Khondaker Moshtaq Ahmad, one of the conspirers of the Mujib assassination. Democratic League proclaimed the Indemnity Ordinance, which granted immunity from prosecution to the assassins of Mujib. Mujib's daughters Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Sheikh Rehana were barred from returning to Bangladesh from abroad. BAKSAL was dissolved during the short tenure of Democratic League which was ousted subsequently by a bloodless coup by pro-Mujib military officers Khaled Mosharraf and Shafat Jamil.

After a long feud involving ownership of The Daily Ittefaq, Hosein decided to leave the company in May 2010. The rest of Manik Mia family remained with the Ittefaq newspaper while Mainul exited taking along the 1 RK Mission Road building and the printing press. According to insiders, Mainul and his brother Anwar Hossain Manju were battling a court case regarding Printer and Publisher titles of the Daily Ittefaq. During the caretaker government, Mainul's wife Saju Hosein took over the Printer and Publisher posts from his exiled brother. However, upon Manju's return the transition was challenged, Mainul fearing loss in court decided to exit the company.

The long-time dispute between the brothers led to the near demise of the Daily Ittefaq which now, in terms of circulation, lags significantly behind several Bangla newspapers in the country including Prothom Alo, Kaler Kantho, Shamakal and a few new tabloids. However, under new management the newspaper he attempted to reverse further loss of readership.

Hosein held several important posts earlier in the print media sector of the country. He was the President of Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Parishad, an association of newspaper owners. Hosein was elected President, Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association for the term 2000–2001.

On January 11, 2007, the President of Bangladesh declared a State of Emergency under pressure of an army group led by Moeen and suspended the elections which were scheduled to be held on January 22.The President had also been serving as the Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government and on January 11 resigned from that post, nominating Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed as the Chief Advisor.

However, Hosein was forced to resign from the interim government one year after taking oath after making baseless, derogatory and partisan remarks against various political leaders of the country including two former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.

In September 2019, Barrister Mainul Hosein was jailed in a defamation case filed by journalist Masuda Bhatti.

Hosein breathed his last 9 December 2023 while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.

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