The government will withdraw any criminal case, except rape cases, filed during the Awami League government if those are found to be politically motivated, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman said in Parliament on Tuesday.
“Except rape cases, any other case, even a murder case, will be withdrawn if those are political in nature and pass through our screening process. There are no ifs and buts in this regard,” he said.
The minister was responding to a supplementary question from BNP lawmaker from Noakhali-2 Zainul Abdin Farroque during the question-and-answer session.
He said cases were not labelled as political when they were filed, which is why political leaders and activists facing such cases had been asked to apply for withdrawal using a prescribed form. “If applications are submitted, the cases will be withdrawn through the proper procedure,” he said.
Asaduzzaman urged Farroque to submit an application if he had any pending cases, assuring him that the government would take steps to withdraw them.
He also said former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and incumbent Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had never applied for withdrawal of cases against them. “Their cases were resolved through the courts without seeking any government favour,” he added.
In his supplementary question, Farroque said 86 cases had been filed against him during the previous fascist regime, claiming that 64 of them had been filed in 64 districts on the same day when he had been serving as the opposition chief whip in Parliament.
Claiming that those cases had yet to be withdrawn, he sought detailed information on the government's case withdrawal process to be presented before Parliament.
Earlier, responding to a question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP from Chapainawabganj-1 Md Keramat Ali, Asaduzzaman said the process of withdrawing harassment cases filed for political reasons had begun during the interim government
“The present government has taken initiatives to make the process more dynamic and effective since assuming office,” he said.
The minister said four-member committees had been formed at the district level, headed by the respective deputy commissioners to recommend withdrawal of politically motivated cases.
The committees examine applications for withdrawal, first information reports (FIRs), certified copies of charge sheets where applicable, and opinions from public prosecutors.
They assess whether a case was filed with the intention of political harassment, whether continuing the proceedings is necessary in the public interest, and whether keeping the case pending could harm the interests of the state.
A central committee, headed by the law minister, had also been formed to coordinate the withdrawal process after reviewing recommendations from the district committees, he said.
Asaduzzaman said a total of 24,013 cases filed for political reasons and considered to be harassment cases had so far been withdrawn.
He added that the government would take necessary steps to withdraw any case found to be politically motivated and harassing based on applications received and recommendations from the relevant district committees.
In his question, Keramat Ali said numerous allegedly false and politically motivated cases filed during the previous fascist regime remained unresolved across the country, causing thousands of innocent people to face harassment and suffering.
He sought to know why the cases had not yet been resolved and when the process would be completed.