Law-&-Order
Khoksha upazila Chattra League president’s brother sustains bullet injuries over By-election to UP
The younger brother of Kushtia’s Khoksha upazila Chattra League president sustained bullet injuries in an attack by unknown assailants over a child-like election to a union parishad at the upazila on Tuesday night.
The injured is Abdul Awal Kanak Khan, 25, younger brother of the upazila unit Chattra League President Shimul Ahmed Khan and son of Bakkar Khan of Malishia village under Joyantihazara union in the upazila.
Read: College student killed in city clash
Kanak sustained the bullet in his neck on his way to home at his village around 9pm leaving him critically injured.
He was rushed to Kushtia General Hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
Locals said a heated environment had been prevailing in the upazila over a By-election to a union parish between supporters of the AL-nominated candidate and rival individual for the past few days.
President Shimul in a Facebook post from his personal account alleged that local lawmaker Barrister Selim Altaf George and the upazila unit AL President Babul Akter were behind the attack.
Read more: Rohingya man killed in Teknaf ‘gunfight’
The lawmaker, however, denying the allegation claimed that he had no involvement with the attack and condemned it.
Read: Motorcyclist killed in Rajshahi road crash
Syed Ashiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Khoksha police station, said though electoral campaign got stopped, infighting among supporters of the candidates were going on.
An effort is on to nab the miscreants in this connection, he said.
HC summons 3 Khulna lawyers to face contempt charges
The High Court on Tuesday summoned three lawyers, including the president of the Khulna District Bar Association, to appear before it on November 22 and face charges amounting to contempt of court, in relation to their alleged misconduct with a judge.
An HC bench of Justice J. B. M. Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order, with the contempt attached to a suo moto rule following a hearing in this regard.
The rule questioned why any punitive action taken against the trio, stemming from their own actions, wouldn’t be illegal.
Those summoned were the bar’s president for Khulna district Saiful Islam, and KDBA members Sheikh Nazmul Hossain and Sheikh Ashraf Ali Pappu.
Attorney AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy stood for the state in the hearing.
The state lawyers said the HC asked the accused lawyers to appear before it in person on November 22 and explain their actions in view of the contempt rule.
Read more: High Court asks why DMP authority to ban rallies not illegal
According to the file of Registrar General, on September 22 lawyer Pappu, who stood for a plaintiff in a case in Khulna, left the court of Khulna’s former Land Survey Tribunal Judge Nirmalendu Das, who is now an additional district judge of Chapainawabganj district, saying the bar president would interrogate the case after the court fixed a date for delivering the judgment.
Though Pappu orally placed a petition seeking time for hearing the case, the court rejected it.
Later, the three accused lawyers, along with others, entered the court again and created chaos while the judge was hearing another case.
Saiful, the senior among them, asked the judge with a rude attitude why he rejected the time petition sought for the hearing of the case and threw him some other questions.
Remarkably, the judge continued to engage with the trio and said: “You (the bar president) applied for time but I rejected it. You see the reason behind the rejection in the order. It is unacceptable that you seek the reason in this manner."
If you're thinking that was the worst of it, think again.
“We don’t want any answers from you, knowing you deliver illegal judgments for money and bribe. We will boycott the court and prove before the media that you are corrupted,” the lawyers shot back.
Read more: High court’s directive sought to ban export of Hilsa to India
Later, the judge sent a written letter to the chief justice mentioning the issue on the same day. The registrar general of the HC submitted it before the chief judge.
The HC bench on Tuesday passed the order on a suo moto rule, after the chief justice formed a bench headed by Justice J. B. M. Hassan to hear the issue on October 25.
Shuffling the reshuffle: Now EC secretary moved to I & B
Election Commission Secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker has been made the new secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, cancelling Secretary of Industries Ministry Zakia Sultana’s transfer to this ministry.
The Public Administration Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday.
According to a gazette notification issued on October 27, Secretary of Industries Ministry Zakia Sultana was transferred to the Information Ministry while EC secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker was transferred to the Ministry of Industries.
Read more:Major administrative reshuffle in EC, Information Ministry
On October 16, former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mokbul Hossain was sent to retirement in “public interest”, one year before his scheduled retirement.
Meanwhile, chief executive officer (secretary) of Public Private Partnership Authority Muhammad Ibrahim has been transferred to the local government and engineering division (LGRD) as secretary, as of today’s notification.
Technical and Madrasa Education Board Secretary Md Kamal Hossain was earlier transferred to the LGRD as secretary, as of October 31 notification.
Read more:Never met Tarique Rahman, says Info Secretary sent on early retirement
The government promoted Kamal Hossain to the rank of senior secretary at Technical and Madrasa Education Board Secretary, canceling the previous transfer.
Besides, director general of Islamic Foundation (Additional Secretary) Md Mushfiqur Rahman has been promoted to the rank of secretary at Public Private Partnership Authority as the chief executive officer (secretary), reads a separate notification issued today (Tuesday).
Home Minister to DRU: 'Media is completely independent now'
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday said the mass media is currently working completely independently as there is no control exercised over the media.
The Home Minister came up with the remark while addressing a function on DRU Best Reporting Award-2022 at Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Segunbagicha in the city organised by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Tuesday afternoon.
In his speech, the Home Minister said that as the number of daily newspapers has increased, the number of electronic media has also increased. Earlier, when writing news, there were various types of censorships, but now there is no such thing, he said.
"There is no control over the mass media. They are currently working completely independently," the Home Minister said.
The minister said that there are roaming journalists everywhere. "When something is happening, it is coming out through them immediately," he added.
"It is a challenging world, in which you are earning reputation. Today, those who excelled are being honoured. Thank you to all who have been awarded," Khan said.
The Home Minister called upon the journalists to contribute more, and to write "positive news" equally.
"You will work to advance the country," he added.
Read more: Militancy has no place in Bangladesh: Home Minister
The awards were given to 11 winners for 10 prizes in four categories based on the marks received from the jury board members.
Later, the invited guests along with the minister handed over the prizes to the winners. Rajeev Noor (Samakal) won the award in the liberation war category. He received this award for his series reporting on Etihaser Chhera Pata.
Abu Zar Anshar Uddin Ahmed of Samakal won the first prize in the print media category, Md Ismail Ali of the Daily Share Biz got second prize, while Jameel Khan of Daily Star and Obaidullah Roni of Samakal jointly got the third prize in this category.
Read more: Warned Myanmar against firing shots towards Bangladesh, says Home Minister
Abu Zar Anshar Uddin Ahmed of Samakal won the first prize in the print media category, Md Ismail Ali of the Daily Share Biz got second prize, while Jameel Khan of Daily Star and Obaidullah Roni of Samakal jointly got the third prize in this category.
Among others, Somoy TV web editor Mahfuzur Rahman, publisher of Dainik Bangla Chowdhury Nafiz Sarafat, DRU President Nazrul Islam Mithu and general secretary Nurul Islam Hasib were also present.
8 get life term for killing schoolboy in city
A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced eight people to life imprisonment for killing a schoolboy in the city’s Pallabi in 2014.
The convicts are Md Faisal, Md Ashiq, Md Russel, Md Oli, Saddam, Rabbi, Imran and Rashid.
Dhaka 7th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Tehsin Iftekhar delivered the judgment.
According to the case, Mehedi Hasan was called out of his residence by the convicts in Pallabi area on September 30, in 2014.
Later, he was found unconscious in a neighbouring building and was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Read more: Four get life term in Barishal for killing youth
Mehedi’s father Mosharraf Hossain filed an FIR with Pallabi police station on the following day, alleging that the convicts killed his son as he obstructed drug peddling in the area.
On June 12 in 2017, a chargesheet was submitted against the convicts. The court framed charges and started the trial in the case on April 1 in 2019.
DU student allegedly harasses Brac University student on campus
A Dhaka University student and activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League allegedly slapped and harassed a girl, who is a law student of Brac University, on the campus during the early hours on Tuesday.
But the DU student contradicted and accused the girl of assaulting him.
The incident took place at 3:30 am in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture on the DU campus.
The girl was on the campus with two of her male friends when the incident took place.
Read more: DU student found dead at Jagannath Hall
Najmul Islam, a residential student of Masterda Surja Sen Hall and postgraduate student of Institute of Social Welfare and Research of Dhaka University, said the girl was filming floating people who were asleep on footpath.
Najmul said that he stopped along with a friend as he was returning on a bike to the university dormitory when he saw the girl and her friends.
He said he asked why the girl and her friends were filming the floating people without their permission.
An altercation broke out, prompting the girl to slap Najmul, he said. Najmul also retaliated and slapped the girl back.
In a video posted online it was seen that the girl using abusive words and slapping the boy.
According to an audio recorded by a witness some details have come out.
"After my birthday celebration, I was standing in front of the sculpture with my friends and taking pictures. At that time two boys stopped their bike and started questioning us using bad words against me. They teased me and slapped me when I protested," the girl was heard in the audio.
Najmul told UNB that the girl also used abusive words when he questioned their presence on the campus during early hours on Tuesday.
He said they were filming the people who were asleep on the footpaths and attires of the floating people were not in order.
Read more: Prime accused among 4 held over mugging of DU student after abduction
"When I asked why the girl was taking pictures of the people without their consent, she said her father has the ability to buy the entire DU campus multiple times," he added.
"When I took my mobile phone to record her abusive words, she again insulted me,” he said.
"At one point she slapped me, and I slapped her in return,” he said.
The girl filed a complaint with the Proctor’s office on Tuesday.
DU Proctor AKM Golam Rabbani told UNB that they were investigating the incident.
“The complainant girl is not our student, so we have advised her take legal steps,” he said.
Arrest warrants issued for Tarique and Zubaida Rahman in corruption case
A Dhaka court today issued arrest warrants for BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Asaduzzaman court passed the order after taking the charge sheet against them into cognisance.
The court also directed the officer-in-charge (OC) of Cantonment police station to submit a progress report regarding the arrest warrant on January 5 next year.
Read more: Graft case against Tarique, Zubaida: HC asks trial court to dispose of case soon
On June 26, High court ordered the judicial court to dispose of the case as soon as possible.
The HC also rejected the couple’s writ petitions, challenging the corruption case against them for acquiring wealth beyond their known sources of income and concealing information in their affidavits.
As both of them remain fugitive, the court rejected the writ petitions – saying these are not acceptable.
The court also withdrew the stay order on the trial proceedings of the case filed against them.
Read more: Verdict on Tarique-Zubaida’s whereabouts on June 26
On September 26, 2007, ACC lodged a complaint with Kafrul police against Tarique Rahman, Zubaida and her mother Iqbal Mand Banu for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 4.81 crore and concealing the information.
In the same year, the High Court issued a rule suspending the trial proceedings in the case after hearing a petition filed by Zubaida.
The HC rejected the rule in 2017 and asked her to surrender before the court within eight weeks.
HC questions govt’s inaction to free house from AL MP Murshedy’s occupation
The High Court on Tuesday (November 01, 2022) issued a rule questioning why the authorities’ failure and inaction to free a house from Awami League MP Abdus Salam Murshedy’s illegal occupation will not be declared illegal.
It also directed the authorities concerned to submit all documents regarding allotment of the abandoned house in the capital’s Gulshan to Awami League MP Abdus Salam Murshedy.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman, Housing and Public Works secretary and Khulna-4 constituency MP Murshedy have been asked to submit the documents within 10 days in affidavit form.
Read more: Salam Murshedy elected MP uncontested
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat came up with the directive during a hearing on a writ petition filed in this regard in the public interest.
The court has fixed November 13, for the next hearing.
Petitioner Supreme Court lawyer Syed Sayedul Haque Suman said the abandoned house in Gulshan is the property of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works but the Khulna-4 MP illegally occupied it with the help of Rajuk.
Read more: Defaming PM: HC grants bail to Rajbari Mahila Dal leader
On October 30, the SC lawyer submitted the writ petition seeking an investigation into it.
According to the petition, house no 29 of road 104 at Gulshan- 2 was enlisted as abandoned by the government in 1986.
Three letters sent to Rajuk by the Housing and Public Works Ministry in 2015 and 2016 seeking an explanation for the illegal occupation of the house by Murshedy were attached to the petition.
Read More: Defaming PM: HC grants bail to Rajbari Mahila Dal leader
As RAJUK chairman didn’t respond to the letters the writ petition was filed challenging the authority’s inaction against the occupation of the abandoned house by AL MP Murshedy.
Find a way to extradite Bangabandhu killer Nur: Bangladesh to Canada
Bangladesh has requested Canada to find an alternative way to extradite Nur Chowdhury, the self-confessed and convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Law Minister Anisul Huq made the request when Lilly Nicholls, Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, paid a call on him at the secretariat on Tuesday.
Also read: Bangabandhu upheld the principle of neutrality in a bipolar world: Anisul
Huq told reporters that the Canadian High Commissioner has informed him that according to Canada’s law they cannot return a death row convict.
“I have a requested her to find an alternative way to return Nur as sheltering a killer is violation of human rights,” he said.
During the visit they discussed 50 years of friendship between the two nations, areas of mutual cooperation, importance of freedom of expression in democratic societies.
Biswajit Das murder: Another fugitive convict held in N’ganj
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members have arrested a fugitive convict who had been on the run since his conviction in Biswajit Das murder case in 2013.
Md Yunus Ali,36, son of Khondokar Yakub Ali of Magura, was arrested on Monday morning from Kellapur area in Naryanganj during a drive of Rab-2, said Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Fazlul Haque, senior additional director (Media) of RAB-2.
He was sentenced to life imprisonement in the murder case.
Read more: Biswajit Das murder case: Fugitive convict held in city
During primary interrogation the convict confessed to his involvement in the murder and legal action are underway against him, he said.
On December 9, 2012, tailoring shop employee Biswajit was chopped to death by some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists near Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka during the BNP-led alliance's countrywide road blockade programme.
On December 18, 2013, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced eight BCL activists to death and 13 others, including Yunus ,to life imprisonment in the murder case.
In 2017, The High Court upheld the life term jail sentence of accused Yunus Ali in his absence.
read more: Biswajit Das murder case: Fugitive convict held in Bogura
On August 6, 2017, the High Court also upheld the death sentences of Rafiqul Islam Shakil and Rajon Talukder and commuted the capital punishment of four other convicts — Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, Emdadul Haque Emdad, GM Rasheduzzaman Shawon and Mir Nurul Alam Liman — to life term.