Law-&-Order
Supreme Court to conduct judicial activities physically from Wednesday
The judicial activities of both the divisions of will be conducted in physical presence maintaining health protocols from Wednesday.
The Supreme Court issued a press release in this regard on Monday.
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The decision was taken by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain in consultation with the senior judges.
Barishal court summons Evaly CEO Rassel in 3 cases of cheque fraud
A Barishal court on Sunday issued summons to controversial e-commerce platform Evaly’s Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Rassel in three cases of cheque fraud.
Barishal Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate judge acknowledged the cases filed by three affected consumers of Evaly and summoned the accused, said the plaintiff’s lawyer Mostafizur Rahman.
Read:HC committee seals off 4 warehouses of Evaly
According to the case complaint, Barishal resident Niloy Sharif paid Tk 3.50 Lakh, Sadikur Rahman Suruj Tk 2.71 lakh and Md Ferdous Tk 1.74 lakhs to Evaly for purchasing motorcycles which they did not receive.
Later Evaly provided them cheques to return the amounts they paid but the cheques were returned by the bank authority.
The three victims sent a legal notice through the post office to return their money to which the company did not respond and later they filed three separate cases with the court of cheque dishonor under the Negotiable Instrument Act.
Read:Ministry working to refund Evaly customers’ money: Munshi
Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin, the chairman of the platform were arrested on September 16, after a customer named Arif Baker filed a case at Gulshan Police Station alleging that e-commerce platform was not delivering products despite taking advanced payments.
Buet student Abrar murder: Verdict on Sunday
The verdict in the Buet student Abrar Fahad murder case will be delivered on Sunday.
Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamaruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 will deliver the verdict.
Earlier, on 14 November, the tribunal fixed the date (Nov 28) for delivering the judgment after completion of arguments of both the state and defendants.
In 2019, Abrar, 21, a second-year student of electrical and electronic engineering, was beaten to death by Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders at Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university.
Read: Abrar murder case: Prosecution seeks capital punishment for all accused
He was found dead on the staircase of the hall in the early hours of October 7 after he was taken to room No-2011 around 8pm on October 6 and beaten mercilessly.
On October 7, Abrar’s father Barkat Ullah filed a murder case with the Chawkbazar police station accusing 19 people.
On November 13, 2019, Detective Branch (DB) Inspector and investigation officer of the case Wahiduzzaman submitted the charge sheet against the 25 accused.
On September 15, 2020, the court framed charges against the accused.
Read: Abrar murder: 25 accused indicted again
The court recorded statements of 47 witnesses among the 60 witnesses in the case.
On March 14, this year, the arrested 22 accused in the case claimed their innocence while testifying in self-defense.
Three of the accused – Jishan, Rafid and Tanim – remained absconding.
Notre Dame College student’s death: DSCC cleaning staff Harun remanded
A Dhaka court on Saturday placed Dhaka South City Corporation(DSCC) cleaning staff Md Harun on a 2-day remand in a case filed in connection with the death of a Notre Dame College student in a road crash.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mainul Islam passed the order after investigation officer of the case Anisur Rahman, sub-inspector of Paltan police station, sought a 7-day remand for interrogating Md Harun.
Meanwhile, the defense lawyer submitted a petition seeking his bail which the court rejected after the state side opposed it.
On Friday Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members detained DSCC cleaner Md Harun who confessed that he has been driving DSCC garbage truck regularly since 2020 without having a license.
Read: Notre Dame College student’s death: main DSCC driver arrested
On Wednesday, he allowed another cleaning staff Russel Khan to drive the vehicle violating the rules as he was absent on the day.
On Thursday, a press release DSCC said, cleaning staff Md Harun a was terminated for taking allotment of the truck through illegal means.
Besides, a departmental case was filed against designated driver of DSCC Md Iran Mia and he was suspended for allowing someone else to drive a truck that was illegally allotted, said DSCC.
Earlier on Thursday, Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate placed cleaning staff Russel Khan on a three-day remand in the case.
On Wednesday, Naim Hasan, a 17-year-student of Notre Dame College, was killed when a garbage truck of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) hit him at Golchattar in the city’s Gulistan area while crossing road.
Read: Notre Dame College student’s death: Truck driver put on 3-day remand
Patrol police in the area detained Russel Khan, who was driving the DSCC vehicle, while he was fleeing and seized the truck, said Md A Ahad, deputy police commissioner of Motijheel division of DMP.
A case was filed at Paltan police station in this regard following a complaint lodged by Naim’s father, he said.
Russel was neither appointed by DSCC as a driver nor he has any driving license, said the police official.
Cleaning staff Harun used to allow Russel to drive the vehicle in his absence, he said.
SC finds Dupchanchia city mayor’s suspension illegal too
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the HC order that held Bagura’s Dupchanchia City Corporation mayor Jahangir Alam’s suspension illegal.
The five-member bench by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order rejecting the petition filed by the state against the order.
The order removes the bar on Jahangir taking up the responsibilities as mayor, said Ruhul Kuddus Kajol, lawyer of the mayor.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney General Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury appeared for the state during the hearing.
On October 27, 2020, the local government ministry through a notification announced suspension of the mayor.
According to the notification, he was temporarily suspended as the court has received charge sheet against the mayor in several cases filed at the Dupchanchia police station.
Jahnagir took his suspension case to the High Court which declared it illegal.
Writ seeks compensation over student’s death after falling in Ctg drain
A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Thursday seeking its directive on the authorities concerned to give a compensation of Tk 10 crore to the family university student Shehrin who died after falling into a drain in Chattogram city.
Barrister Anik R Haque filed the writ petition on behalf of rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Children's Charity Bangladesh (CCB) Foundation and Sadia's maternal uncle Zahid Uddin Belal on Thursday.
Read: AL election campaign office torched in Satkhira
The writ petition was presented before the High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman, said Advocate AM Jamiul Haque Faisal.
The Secretaries to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives and Ministry of Home Affairs, Chattogram Divisional Commissioner, Chattogram City Corporation, Chairman of Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) and others were made defendants.
In the writ petition, the petitioner sought the court’s order to the Chattogram City Corporation and the Chattogram Development Authority to inform about the steps taken over the death of university student Sehreen Mahbub Sadia.
The writ petition also sought its directive to the authorities concerned for submitting a report on their steps taken to investigate the incident compensate the family or other action to prevent such accident.
Read: Bangladesh seeks EU support for regional hydropower, solar projects
Earlier on October 19, legal notice was sent to the defendants to compensate the family of the university student. It was mention in the notice that if no action is taken within seven days of receiving the notice, a writ petition will be filed with the High Court.
On September 27, Shehrin Mahmud Sadia, 20, died after falling into an open drain in Agrabad Badamtali area of the port city. Sadia's body was found five hours after she had gone missing in the drain.
HC issues contempt of court rule against Gazipur Mayor, 3 others
The High Court on Wednesday issued a contempt of court rule against Gazipur City Corporation Mayor Jahangir Alam and three others for not complying with its order over a disputed land.
The other three accused are: Alfaz, Harunur Rashid and Jaflul Haque.
The HC bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman issued the rule and asked the four accused to explain within a week why the contempt of court proceedings should not be brought against them for violating the HC order.
Barrister Abul Kalam Azad, counsel for the petitioner, confirmed the matter.
Barrister Azad said Ashraf Uddin Ahmed filed a writ petition with the High Court over occupying his land illegally.
Following the writ petition, the High Court directed to be restrained from entering the land of the petitioner and not to disturb him in any way.
Despite the HC order, Mayor Jahangir and his three others obstructed the petitioner to use the land on June 21.
Later, the petitioner filed the contempt of court petition with the HC against the four.
Earlier on November 19, Awami League expelled its Gazipur unit general secretary and city mayor Jahangir Alam for life for controversial comments on Bangabandhu and other local leaders.
Custodial death in Rangpur: HC orders police not to harass victim’s family, locals
The High Court on Wednesday ordered the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner to take steps so that that the victim's family and local people are not harassed over the custodial death of Tajul Islam at Haragach police station in Rangpur.
The HC bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order.
The court also adjourned the hearing in the case for one week.
Advocate Jyotirmoy Barua read out a media report on November 2 alleging torture and murder of Tajul Islam under police custody.
The court then asked the state counsel to look into the matter. Following this, the matter came up for hearing on November 3.
On that day, the court passed an order with a rule. The report of the four-member probe committee, the autopsy report and the copy of the case of unnatural death were asked to be submitted by November 11.
Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta said the committee's report and information have already been submitted to the court. Time was sought from the court to submit the viscera report.
The court adjourned the hearing for a week until Wednesday, he said.
Amit Das Gupta further said that the lawyers of the victim’s side alleged that locals were being harassed. Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner was directed to ensure that no one from the victim’s family and the local people are harassed until the viscera report is received.
Tajul Islam, 55, a resident of Dalalhat village in Haragach union, was reportedly beaten to death by police at Haragach Natun Bazar around 6 pm on November 1.
Tajul was detained with some drugs during a police drive at Haragach Natun Bazar and he fell unconscious as police beat him up mercilessly. At one stage, police pushed him against a wall and he died on the spot.
Enraged by the incident, locals cordoned off Haragach police station, threw brick chips at police and vandalized some vehicles.
Police later fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters.
Court grants bail to Barrister Nazmul Huda in case involving ex-CJI Sk Sinha
A Dhaka court has granted bail to Barrister Nazmul Huda, former communications minister, in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) accusing him of bringing false allegations against then-Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.
Huda was granted bail after he surrendered before the court of Dhaka Senior Special Judge KM Imrul Kayes on Wednesday.
Despite opposition from the state counsel the court granted bail to Huda till December 13 on a bond of Tk 20,000.
Also the court accepted the charge sheet and ordered transfer of the case to Special Judge Court-9. At the same time, the date for charge formation was announced December 13.
Earlier, the commission had approved the charge sheet on October 7.
Huda filed a case against SK Sinha at Shahbagh Police Station on September 27, 2018, alleging that the verdict in a case settled against him during the tenure of the former caretaker government was changed and bribery demanded.
He claimed Sinha demanded a bribe of Tk 3.25 crore to dismiss the case. However, investigation for a year and a half the ACC did not find any evidence in Huda's allegation.
On February 20 last year, ACC director Syed Iqbal Hossain filed a counter case against Huda for making false allegations against SK Sinha .
On Nov ember 9 a Dhaka special court sentenced Sinha to 11 years in jail for laundering Tk. 4 crore borrowed from Farmers Bank, now Padma Bank. He now lives abroad.
Helena Jahangir gets bail in DSA case, may walk out of jail soon
A Dhaka Court on Wednesday granted bail to Helena Jahangir, a businessperson-turned politician, in a case filed under Digital Security Act clearing the last obstacle against her release from jail.
Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakar Siddiq passed the order after hearing her bail petition.
Read: Helena Jahangir seeks bail from HC in DSA case
Since she got bail in all other cases filed against her since her arrest on July 29 last year, Helena will be freed once the bail orders reach the jail authorities, court sources said.
Helena earlier got bail in cases relating to fraud, illegal possession of narcotics and violation of telecommunication law.
Read: Helena Jahangir gets bail, but cannot walk out of jail
On the night of July 29, members of Rapid Action Battalion-1 (Rab) arresed Helena from her Gulshan residence, four days after she was removed from her post of a women affairs sub-committee of the ruling Awami League.