The High Court (HC) on Thursday ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to submit a report within two months on the latest condition of seized samples of several cases that have been lying in front of police stations, dumping stations and court premises.

The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah passed the order after holding a final hearing on a petition.

Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir who stood for the petitioners in the court said the IGP has been asked to collect reports of the cases that are unprotected in front of the police stations, dumping stations and court premises across the country and submit them to the court within the next two months.

The lawyer said they see the seized goods lying in all the courts and police stations of the country including Dhaka for many years.

“We have not seen such mismanagement of these goods anywhere else in the world. After years of lying like this, it is not of use to the state, nor to the owners,” he said.

He said they sent a legal notice to the authorities concerned but they didn’t reply to it. As a result, they, five lawyers, submitted the petition with the HC in 2022.

Following a primary hearing on the petition on August 30 of the same year, the HC issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why the inaction of the defendants to take necessary steps to preserve the seized goods in the malkhana and police stations should not be declared illegal and why directives should not be given to take necessary steps to preserve the seized goods.

Law secretary, public security division secretary of the Home Ministry, the IGP and Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner had been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks. The final hearing on the rule was held on Thursday.