Dhaka, May 20 (UNB) – The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why mother’s name should not be attached along with father’s one for a citizen’s identity.

Home and law secretaries, Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission and Bangladesh Supreme Court Registrar General were asked to respond to the rule in four weeks.

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Advocate Jobaida Parvin.

Assistant Attorneys General Samira Tarannum Rabeya and Suchira Hossain stood for state while Advocate Suraiya Begum represented the petitioner.

The Women and Children Affair Ministry issued a gazette earlier which made it compulsory to include mother’s name in children’s identity but it is yet to be implemented, said Suraiya Begum.

Chandpur, May 20 (UNB) – A tribunal here on Monday sent the imam of a mosque to jail for allegedly raping a teenage girl in Debpur area of Sadar upazila six months ago.

Judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal passed the order when Md Mozammel Haque, 30, son of Jafar Ali Mia of Uakuru village in Shahrasti upazila and imam of Debpur Jame Mosque, was produced before the court.

Officer-in-charge of Hajiganj Police Station Md Alamgir Hossain Roni said the victim’s father who is a visually impaired beggar and her mother caught the accused from Hajiganj Bazar area on Sunday afternoon and informed police.

Later, police arrested him. They also recovered indecent pictures of several other teenage girls from the imam’s cell phone, he said.

On November 17 last year, Mozammel took the victim to a rented house at Haji Mansion area of Hajiganj Bazar in the name of teaching her English and violated her there and fled.

After returning home, the victim narrated the incident to her parents but the family kept mum fearing social repercussion and was waiting for scope for catching the imam.

Dhaka, May 20 (UNB) – The High Court on Monday directed the authorities concerned to constitute committees to monitor fruit markets and warehouses across the country so that chemicals are not used to ripen fruits.

Passing the order, the HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader sought a compliance report within June 18.

The Inspector General of Police, Director General and Director (chemical testing wing) of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) were asked to execute the order.  

Advocate Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General ABM Al Bashar represented the state.

On April 9, the court asked for deploying police in mango orchards in Rajshahi to prevent the use of chemicals in mangoes.

Besides, an inspection team had been ordered to monitor the fruit markets and warehouses across the country so that no one can use chemicals to ripen mangoes and the four respondents asked to carry out the order and file a report within 30 days.

The matter was brought in court’s notice again as the authorities failed to submit the report within the deadline. 

Manzill Murshid said the court issued a seven-point directive on February 29, 2012 about mango orchards.

"But, we saw a tendency to use chemicals in mangoes in previous years. So, we’ve filed an application before the court urging it to issue the directives again," he said.

Chandpur, May 19 (UNB) – A court here on Sunday sent a teenage boy to the Juvenile Correctional Centre in Tongi of Gazipur for reportedly raping a seven-year-old girl at Razargaon village in Hajiganj upazila on Thursday.

Officer-in-charge of Hajiganj Police Station Md Abdur Rashid said the teen was produced before the court when it ordered to send him to the juvenile correctional centre.

The victim is a first grader who lost her mother three months back and was living with her stepmother and grandmother as her father works in Dhaka. 

On Thursday, the teenage boy violated the minor girl and fled, the OC said. 

Later, the ailing victim informed the matter to her grandmother. Police arrested the ‘rapist’ on Saturday after victim’s father filed a case in this regard. 
 

Dhaka, May 19 (UNB) – The High Court on Sunday declared illegal the gazette notifications and circulars published by the government fixing the minimum age limit for a freedom fighter.

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order after hearing 15 writ petitions filed challenging the legality of fixing 12 years and six months as of November 30, 1971 as the minimum age to be eligible for earning the status of a freedom fighter. 

The court also declared illegal the subsection 11 of section 2 of Bangladesh Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust Act-2018.

It asked the authorities concerned to provide the freedom fighters allowances within 60 days of getting the verdict.

During hearing, the HC said, “Not only Bangladesh but also anywhere in the world, freedom fighters cannot be tied to the age frame. People are getting involved in the liberation war out of their emotion and love for the country. Love can’t be determined by age.”

He also said freedom fighters, aged 7-8, took part in the World War-1 and there’re many books in Bangladesh on children freedom fighters. It’s nothing new. The petitioners have been getting all the benefits for the last 45 years. So, if we deny the freedom fighters who liberated the country, we can’t move forward.”

Omar Sadat, ABM Altaf Hossain, Jahangir Jamaddar, Nargis Tanjima, Selina Akter Chowdhury, Sharif Ahmed, Eunus Ali Akond, Subhrajit Banarjee and ARM Quamruzzaman Kakon stood for the petitioners while deputy attorney general Mokhlesur Rahman represented the state.

On November 10, 2016, a gazette was issued fixing 13 years as of March 26, 1971 as the minimum age required for enrolling as a freedom fighter. 

Later on January 17 last, the gazette was amended through a notification setting 12 years and six months as of November 30, 1971 as the minimum age requirement.  

Fifteen freedom fighters filed separate writ petitions with the High Court in 2016, 2017 and 2018 challenging the legality of the gazettes.

On July 15, 2018, the High Court asked the authorities concerned to explain as to why the notification fixing 12 years and six months as of November 30, 1971 as the minimum age to be eligible for earning the status of a freedom fighter should not be declared illegal.

The bench of Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal had issued the rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Director of Geological Survey of Bangladesh Mahmud Hassan challenging the notification issued on January 17 last. 

Mahmud Hassan joined the government service on the freedom fighter quota. As per the new notification, his age was 12 years, four months and 12 days on November 30, 1971.

As per the Public Servants (Retirement) Act 1974, Mahmud should get the chance to work till 60 years, said his lawyer Advocate Altaf Hossain. “But due to fixing the minimum age required for being eligible to be a freedom fighter, Mahmud is being deprived of the chance.”