United News of Bangladesh

The High Court on Monday granted six-month bail to Jewel Hasan Saddam, Bagerhat Sadar upazila president of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), on humanitarian grounds following the death of his wife and nine-month-old son. The HC bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan passed the order after hearing a bail petition in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, said Saddam’s lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raja. Describing the matter as “highly humanitarian,” the lawyer said all parties present in the court spoke in favour of the bail plea, prompting the court to grant Saddam bail on humanitarian considerations. Read More: BNP’s Gafur Bhuiyan cannot contest Cumilla-10 as HC rejects writ Saddam has been in custody at Jashore Central Jail since his arrest in Gopalganj following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. On Saturday, jail authorities allowed him to bid farewell to his deceased wife and infant for five minutes at the jail gate, as his family failed to secure his release on parole. The incident triggered widespread discussion and criticism on social media, with many expressing the view that Saddam should have been granted parole to attend the funeral. It later turned out the family had applied to the wrong authority for parole. On Friday afternoon, police recovered the hanging body of Saddam’s wife, Kanij Subarna Swarnali, from their residence in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila. The body of their nine-month-old son, Nazim, was found beside her. Police and family members said Swarnali might have taken her own life after killing her infant son, due to depression.

The High Court on Thursday rejected a writ petition filed by BNP-nominated candidate Md. Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan challenging the Election Commission’s decision to cancel his candidacy for the Cumilla-10 constituency (Lalmai-Nangalkot) over dual citizenship issues. A High Court bench comprising Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Md Anowarul Islam passed the order, barring him from participating in the national election. Barrister Fida M Kamal and Barrister Ruhul Quddus stood for the BNP candidate while Advocate Yusuf Ali represented the EC. Earlier, on Jan 18, following an appeal hearing at the EC office, the EC annulled Bhuiyan’s candidacy. The appeal was filed by Kazi Nure Alam Siddiqui, a candidate of Bangladesh Cultural Muktijot (Muktijot). After hearing both parties, the EC formally cancelled Bhuiyan’s nomination. On Jan 20, Bhuiyan challenged the EC’s decision at the High Court which was rejected on Thursday.  

The High Court on Saturday released the full verdict that upheld the death penalty of 20 students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and life imprisonment for five others in Abrar Fahad murder case. The 131-page full verdict was published on the Supreme Court’s website. On March 16, the HC upheld the trial court’s verdict confirming the death penalty of 20 Buet students and life imprisonment of five others in the sensational case. A High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict in a jam-packed courtroom. HC set to deliver verdict in Abrar murder case Sunday Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of Buet’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department, was beaten to death on October 6, 2019, by activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Sher-e-Bangla Hall. The attack was reportedly triggered by a Facebook post Abrar had made about water-sharing issues between Bangladesh and India. His body was later found on the dormitory’s staircase. The following day, Abrar’s father filed a murder case at Chawkbazar Police Station. The incident sparked nationwide outrage, leading to widespread protests. On December 8, 2021, a Dhaka court sentenced 20 Buet students to death and handed life imprisonment to five others for their involvement in the murder. Convicts and sentences The 20 students sentenced to death are: Mehedi Hassan Rasel, Anik Sarker, Mehedi Hassan Robin, Ifty Mosharaf Sakal, Moniruzzaman Monir, Meftahul Islam Jiyon, Majedur Rahman, Muzahidur Rahman, Tabakhairul Islam Tanvir, Hossen Mohammad Toha, Shamim Billah, Nazmus Shadat, Muntasir Al Jemi, Mizanur Rahman, Mahmud Setu, Shamsul Arifin Rafat, Morshed Omorto Islam, Ehtesamul Rabbi, Morshed Uzzaman Jishan, Mujtaba Rafeed, Dream of education system where students can see future within own country: CR Abrar The five students who received life imprisonment are: Muhtasim Fuyad, Akash Hossain, Mowaz Abu Horaira, Omit Shaha and Ishtiaq Hassan Munna. Of the total 25 accused in the case, five are on the run.  The HC began hearing the death reference and appeals on November 28 last year.    

The High Court has withdrawn its August 4 ruling that ordered Grameen Kalyan, an organization founded by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, to pay BDT 666 crore in taxes to the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The decision was made after one of the judges, upon preparing the full judgment, expressed discomfort due to a conflict of interest. This development was confirmed on Thursday by court sources. The decision came after Justice Sardar Md. Rashed Jahangir, part of the two-judge bench, revealed that he had earlier served as a Deputy Attorney General and had contested the case on behalf of the government. This revelation came while the full text of the court’s August 4 ruling, which mandated Grameen Kalyan to pay Tk 666 crore to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) was being written. In response, the High Court bench, consisting of Justice Mohammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice Jahangir, withdrew the ruling, citing a conflict of interest. The case documents have now been forwarded to the Chief Justice, who will appoint a new bench to rehear the case. Yunus' lawyer, Abdullah-Al-Mamun said, "The bench felt the ruling would be defective as one of the judges had previously represented the government in the matter. This puts us in a challenging position, and we hope it doesn't lead to misunderstandings about the fairness of the judicial process."  The original ruling, delivered on August 4, dismissed a writ filed by Grameen Kalyan challenging the NBR's tax demand for the fiscal years between 2012 and 2017. The High Court's decision at the time had compelled Dr. Yunus' company to settle the tax liability with the government.

The High Court on Wednesday ordered the people concerned to pay Tk 30 lakh to 13-year-old Naim Hasan who lost his one hand while working at a workshop in Kishoreganj in 2020. The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque passed the order. The HC also asked the workshop owner to deposit Tk 7,000 to the school account of Naim, of Ashuganj upazila in Brahmanbaria, for his study purpose every month until his SSC examination. Take measures in preventing price hike of daily essentials: IGP Barrister Anik R Haque stood for the petitioner while Advocate Quamrul Islam represented the workshop owner. The court asked  Iqbal, owner of Nur Engineering Workshop in Kishoreganj’s Bhairab, to pay  the boy Tk 15 lakh in the form of  fixed deposit within April and rest 15 lakh within December this year, said Barrister Anik. Bar fetters be used only for top terrors, dangerous criminals: HC   Naim will be able to withdraw the deposit money after 10 years, it said. On September 28, 2020, Naim’s sustained injury while working at his workshop and during surgery the physicians amputated his hand from elbow to wrist. According to the case filed by Naim’s father, manager of the workshop Raju forced his son to operate the machine. Naim’s father filed the case against five people including the owner and manager of the workshop. Bangladesh Police set guidelines for Ijtema On December 27, 2021, a writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking compensation. On January 14, this year, the HC also issued a rule asking the people concerned to explain as to why compensation should not be provided to Naim who lost his hand while working at a workshop in 2020.

The High Court (HC) today (January 14, 2024) ordered the authorities concerned to recruit 285 people with disabilities on the basis of quota in government primary schools in upazilas of the country. The court also ordered to complete the recruitment process within 90 days. An HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zeenat Haque passed the order after hearing a petition in this regard. Advocate Mohammad Siddique Ullah Miah stood for the petitioners in the court while Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta represented the state. Read more: Prime Minister's Gold Medalist returns awards for education in disgust over corrupt teacher recruitment process at RU Calling the HC order an exemplary verdict, Advocate Siddique Ullah expressed hope that the authorities concerned will execute the order soon. A total of 245 candidates with disabilities submitted a writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of not recruiting them despite a quota. Secretaries to the ministries of Primary and Mass Education and Public Administration, and director general of the Directorate of Primary Education were made respondents to the rule. Last year, the government recruited 37,574 people for primary schools as assistant teachers. On January 17 of the same year, the HC ordered to reserve posts for 114 people with disabilities in government primary schools in upazilas across the country. Read more: Mohibul becomes minister of education Moreover, the HC issued a rule asking to explain as to why people with disabilities won’t be recruited under the quota. On December 11 last year, the final hearing of the petition ended but the court set January 14 this year for delivering the verdict.

The High Court today (January 10, 2024) rejected the bail petition of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case filed over vandalising the Chief Justice's residence on October 28 during the party's grand rally. The HC bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin passed the order after hearing a rule. Advocate Joynul Abedin, Fakhrul's lawyer, said the decision to file an appeal will be taken after discussion. Bail plea of BNP's Fakhrul to be heard Jan 9 Deputy Attorney General BM Abdur Ruffel represented the state. Earlier on December 7, 2023, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain why Fakhrul should not be granted bail in the case. The government was asked to respond to the rule within a week. On December 17, the High Court set January 3 for hearing on the rule. SC upholds HC order to dispose of Fakhrul’s bail pleas On October 29, 2023, police filed a case with Ramna Police Station on charges of vandalism and attack on the Chief Justice's residence during a BNP rally on October 28. Fakhrul was arrested in the case on October 29 and has been in jail since then.

The High Court on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition seeking dissolution of parliament and re-announcement of election schedule for holding it under the direct supervision of the military. The HC bench of Justice Md Iqbal Kabir and Justice Biswajit Debnath passed the order. Advocate Saidur Rahman stood for the writ petitioner while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin stood for the state. Assistant Attorney General Md Saiful Alam, MMG Sarwar Payel and Tahmina Poly were also present. 19 BNP supporters sentenced to 2 years in jail in sabotage case The attorney general said that the writ petition was rejected on the ground of maintainability. The court said the petition did not come properly. They filed the writ directly without sending any notice to the Election Commission. Earlier, on December 10, a newly registered political party, Insaniyat Biplab Bangladesh, filed the writ petition with the High Court seeking dissolution of parliament and rescheduling of the poll under the direct supervision of the army. Party chairman Imam Hayat filed the writ petition with the High Court. The writ petition sought directives to appoint the army with magistracy power to maintain law and order during the election. BCL leader arrested for threatening independent candidate in Narsingdi Secretaries to the Law and Justice Division, Legislative Division, Cabinet Secretary and Chief Election Commissioner were made respondents to the rule. Speaking to UNB after filing the writ petition, Imam Hayat said, “In the last election, we observed that the ruling MPs misused government power in their respective constituencies and used the administration, police and their own armed men to occupy the polling centres and obstruct others from casting their votes.” RAB arrests 8 more for political violence On May 8 this year, Insaniyat Biplab Bangladesh got the EC’s registration as a political party following a High Court order. The party's election symbol is apple.

The High Court today (October 15, 2023) expressed dissatisfaction over the probe report submitted by the high-level investigation committee on the death of Union land office employee Sultana Jasmine in RAB custody in Naogaon. "The report is unclear," the High Court said. “It did not include anything regarding the process of detaining Sultana Jasmine. The report also failed to say whether her relatives were informed after her (Jasmine) detention. Therefore, the court is not satisfied with the report.” Also read: HC grants 2 more months for probe into Jasmine’s death in RAB Custody The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub-ul-Islam made the remarks on Sunday. Later, the High Court bench directed the preparation of the rule for the upcoming hearing on this matter. The court scheduled the hearing for the rule for November 29.      Advocate Manoj Kumar Bhowmick appeared for the writ petitioner in the court. Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas, Assistant Attorney General Abul Kalam Khan Dawood and Assistant Attorney General Taufiq Sajwar Partha were present on behalf of the state. Also read: Death in Custody: RAB quizzes Jasmine's son and brother-in-law Advocate Manoj Kumar Bhowmick said the High Court was dissatisfied over the probe report as some key information was missing from the report. Earlier on May 22, the Cabinet Division formed a high-level investigation committee to investigate the death of land office employee Sultana Jasmine in RAB custody in Naogaon based on the High Court’s directive. The High Court ordered the committee to complete the investigation and submit its report within 60 days. On August 14, the committee submitted a 302-page report to the High Court. Also read: Sultana Jasmine died from brain hemorrhage: postmortem report Union land office employee Sultana was detained by RAB from Muktirmor area of Naogaon city on March 22. She was admitted to Naogaon hospital the same day after she fell ill and later died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on March 24. According to the postmortem report submitted by the Forensic Department of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Sultana Jasmine died from brain haemorrhage. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said Jasmine was arrested for interrogation as there was an accusation of fraudulence against her. Also read: Calls grow for judicial investigation of Jasmine's death in custody

The High Court on Sunday stayed for six months the suspension of Iqbal Monwar, a student of Cumilla University who was suspended by the university for publishing a report allegedly distorting the statement of the Vice-Chancellor.The HC bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Md Ali Reza passed the order.The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the expulsion order should not be declared illegal.Advocate Sihab Uddin Khan stood for the petitioner.With the court order, Iqbal, an English Department student of the university, can continue his academic activities in a normal way. HC turns down ACC's plea to bar Samrat's travel abroadOn July 31, Iqbal, the Cumilla correspondent of Daily Jai Jai Din, published a report allegedly distorting the statement of Cumilla University Vice-Chancellor AFM Abdul Moin .On August 2, the university authorities suspended him.On August 9, a legal notice was served on Education secretary, University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman, Cumilla University VC, pro vice-chancellor and registrar, proctor, public relations officer, and chairman of the Marketing Department of the university seeking withdrawal of the suspension order. HC asks authorities to from committee to stop spread of ThalassemiaThe notice also said that there is no evidence of the distorting the statement of the VC and Iqbal was suspended out of personal wrath of the VC.It also said that, according to section 32 of Cumilla University Act-2006, there should be a disciplinary board but there is no existence of such board. So the suspension order issued by the CoU administration is illegal and beyond the purview of its jurisdiction. HC relieves Cox’s Bazar Sessions Judge after seeking unconditional mercy over bailIqbal was performing his professional duty and there is no connection with the university, said the notice. If VC has any problem with the report then he has the right to log complaint about it with the press council but without doing it, the VC misused his power by suspending the student, said the notice.