High Court (HC) Justice Khizir Hayat has been removed from his post. A notification, signed by Sheikh Abu Taher, Secretary to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, was issued on Wednesday. Ex-ministers Inu, Menon, Anisul, Dipu Moni remanded again On March 18, he was removed upon order from the President following section 96 of the Constitution. A few days back, the Supreme Judicial Council sent a report to the authorities concerned to take action against him upon investigation. Born on January 24 in 1967, Khizir started his career as a lawyer at Dhaka District Judge Court on August 6 in 1997 on completion of his education at the University of Dhaka. He had been enrolled as lawyer of the HC division and recruited as additional justice of the division on May 31, 2008.

The state on Wednesday filed an appeal against the High Court verdict that had acquitted all accused including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar in the 21st August grenade attack case. Mohammad Abdul Jabbar Bhuiya, additional attorney general,  filed the appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, said the Attorney General's office. On 12th January, the High Court acquitted Tarique Rahman, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, and Lutfozzaman Babar, ,who had been sentenced to death, along with other accused in case. The HC bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the judgment. Tarique Rahman, Mamun acquitted in money laundering case The grenade attack was carried out on August 21, 2004 in Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Avenue that left  24 people dead nearly 300 others injrued. On October 10, 2018, a Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal pronounced a verdict in one of the cases (pertaining to murder and explosives). The tribunal sentenced 19 accused, including Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death. Besides, 19 others, including Tarique Rahman, were handed life term imprisonment while 11 accused received various terms of imprisonment and fines. The judgment was subsequently transferred to the HC in 2018, registered as a death reference case. The grenade attack on August 21, 2004 prompted the filing of two cases—one for murder and another for explosives—at Motijheel Police Station. Tarique Rahman urges Ulema to consider unified Ramadan, Eid observance In 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) charged 22 people, alleging that the attack was orchestrated by militants aiming to assassinate Sheikh Hasina and render the Awami League leaderless. Subsequently, under the Awami League government, further investigation led to the submission of an additional charge sheet, naming 30 people, including Tarique Rahman.

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday acquitted former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar from 17 years of imprisonment in a case over recovery of arms from his Gulshan house around 21 years back. An HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasrin Akter passed the order after disposing of a rule in this regard, said the defendant’s lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir. According to the case statement, law enforcers had recovered “illegal arms and several rounds of bullets from his bedroom” at his Gulshan residence on May 28, 2007. On June 3, a case was filed accusing him with Gulshan police station in this regard. On October 30 of the same year, a Dhaka court sentenced him to 17 years of imprisonment, while the convict submitted an appeal to the HC, challenging the verdict. Lutfozzaman Babar finally walks out of jail Issuing a rule, the HC stayed activities of the case later. Babar was arrested on May 28, 2007 and he had been in jail for around 17 years since then. Following the political changeover on August 5 last, he walked out of the jail on January 16 this year after securing bail and acquitting in cases.

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday ordered an investigation into allegations of a large-scale fraud involving K-Telecom, a company linked to the family of Awami League leader Shamim Osman. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) have been directed to conduct the probe and submit their findings within 90 days. The order was issued following the preliminary hearing of a writ petition filed by an affected individual, Sakhawat Hossain. A High Court bench comprising Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Shikdar Mahmudur Raji also issued a rule questioning why the authorities' failure to take action on the petitioner’s request should not be declared illegal. The court has instructed the secretary of the posts and telecommunications ministry, the home secretary, the BTRC chairman, the registrar of joint stock companies, the governor of Bangladesh Bank, the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the CID chief, the inspector general of police (IGP), the officer-in-charge (OC) of Banani Police Station, and five members of Shamim Osman’s family to respond to the rule within four weeks. Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir represented the petitioner in court. The writ petition was filed based on a report published in a national daily on January 14, titled “Tk 126 crore owed to govt: Osman family's unthinkable fraudulence." According to the newspaper report, Sakhawat Hossain, who operates a small travel agency from a rented office in Fakirapool, Dhaka, was falsely listed as a shareholder and Managing Director of K-Telecom, later renamed International Voice Tel Ltd. This company held an International Gateway (IGW) licence, enabling it to handle international call traffic to Bangladesh. Court orders freezing of 31 bank accounts belonging to Hasina, family BTRC records indicate that K-Telecom owes over Tk 126 crore to the government. To evade this liability, BTRC has filed a lawsuit against the company’s owners. However, Sakhawat claims he was unaware of his involvement until BTRC officials, accompanied by local police, visited his ancestral home in Rangunia, Chattogram, on October 18 last year. The company was originally owned by the family of former MP Shamim Osman. His wife, Salma Osman, and son, Imtinan Osman, obtained K-Telecom’s IGW licence in 2012 for a 15-year period. Additionally, Shamim Osman’s brother-in-law Tanvir Ahmed and close associates Joynal Abedin Molla and Jahangir Hossain Molla held stakes in the company. Documents reveal that on August 4, 2013, the Osman family transferred ownership of K-Telecom to three individuals—Sakhawat Hossain, Debabrata Choudhury, a schoolteacher from Sylhet, and Rakibul Islam, an office assistant from Bogura—without their knowledge or consent. All three claim they had no prior knowledge of this transaction and that their names were used fraudulently. BTRC and other sources allege that the Osman family hurriedly transferred ownership to avoid repaying the government dues. The process involved falsified documents and fake photographs. Concerns have been raised over potential collusion between regulatory authorities and the Osman family. Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 05 last year, the Osman family has reportedly gone into hiding. Efforts to obtain comments from Shamim Osman have been unsuccessful. After Awami League came to power in 2009, several IGW licences were issued, making international call termination a lucrative business. Among the beneficiaries were party leaders such as Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Shamsul Haque Tuku, and Shamim Osman. Licence holders were required to pay a fee and share a portion of their revenue with BTRC. However, many companies allegedly failed to make these payments and eventually shut down operations. Court freezes 21 bank accounts linked to P.K. Halder's associates BTRC records indicate that six IGW companies collectively owe the government over Tk 921 crore. The regulator filed a case against K-Telecom on June 22, 2014 to recover its dues. Investigators visited the newly listed 'owners' in 2023 and 2024. Rakibul Islam, one of the individuals fraudulently listed as a shareholder, said he had no idea how he became an owner of K-Telecom. He worked at a garment factory in Savar from 2006 to 2017 and is now employed as an office assistant at a small contracting firm in Bogura. In May 2024, BTRC officials visited his home to verify his identity and financial status. He suspects his National ID card was misused for this fraudulent transaction. He also revealed that his ID had been used previously to open unauthorised mobile financial service (MFS) accounts. Debabrata Choudhury, a government schoolteacher in Sylhet’s Golapganj area, was arrested in February 2023 after BTRC traced his name to the company records. Following protests by his students, he was released on a written undertaking the next day. He has been employed at MC Academy since 2003 and lives in a rented two-room flat with his wife in Sylhet city.

The High Court (HC) on Sunday upheld the trial court’s verdict, confirming the death penalty for 20 students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and life imprisonment for five others in the sensational Abrar Fahad murder case. A High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict in a jam-packed courtroom. Earlier, on Saturday, the HC had scheduled Sunday for pronouncing its verdict on the death references and appeals filed by the convicts. The hearing on these matters concluded on February 24, after which the case was kept under review. What Abrar Fahad's parents said regarding Chhatra League ban 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. HC resumes hearing on death references in Abrar murder case 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, 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 before reaching its final decision today.  

The High Court will deliver its verdict on the death references and appeals in the murder case of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) student Abrar Fahad on Sunday. The HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain fixed the date. Earlier, the hearing on the death references and the appeals of the accused in the Abrar Fahad murder case concluded on February 24, and the case was kept awaiting a verdict. Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman, Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Jasim Sorkar, Khondkar Bahar Rumi, Noor Mohammad Azmi, and Russell Ahmed stood for the stage along with Assistant Attorney Generals Abdul Zubair Jewel, Laboni Akter, Tanvir Pradhan, and Sumaiya Binte Aziz. Senior lawyers SM Shahjahan, Azizur Rahman Dulu, Masud Hasan Chowdhury and Mohammad Shishir Monir stood for the accused. ACC seeks arrest of UP chairman in case of abnormal bank transactions  The Supreme Court's website shows the case listed for the Sunday session for the delivery of the verdict. Abrar, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) department of the Buet, was beaten to death by activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, at the university's Sher-e-Bangla Hall on 6 October in 2019 allegedly over a Facebook post regarding water-sharing issues between Bangladesh and India. His body was later found on the stairs of the hall. On the following day, the victim’s father filed a murder case against 19 Chhatra League members with Chawkbazar police station then a massive outrage sparked across the country centring the issue. A Dhaka court on December 8, 2021, sentenced 20 Buet students to death and five to life terms in jail for their involvement in the murder. The death row convicts were- 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 and Mujtaba Rafeed The lifers were- Muhtasim Fuyad, Akash Hossain, Mowaz Abu Horaira, Omit Shaha and Istiaq Hassan Munna. The High Court bench began hearing the death reference and appeals on November 28, last year.

The High Court (HC) on Sunday ordered the lower court to complete the trial of the case involving the rape of an eight-year-old girl from Magura within six months. An HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the suo motu order. Two lawyers also submitted a writ in this regard drawing the top court’s attention. The Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal concerned was directed to implement this order (completion of trial) with the timeframe. The HC also ordered the completion of investigation into the case within 30 days, and submit a report in this regard accordingly.     The court instructed to remove all photos of the victim from all types of media, including social media platforms, within 24 hours. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), police and Cyber Crime Unit were instructed to implement the order immediately. Besides, the court ordered the authorities to take action against those print and social media published photo and identity of the victim within three days as the section 14 of the Women and Children Repression and Prevention Act. Magura child rapist to be brought to justice: Home Adviser The social welfare official of Magura district was ordered to ensure security of the victim and her sister within 24 hours. The court in its observation said publishing the identity of the victim, and sharing photos are punishable offences and people will have to know it.   The incident occurred when the victim visited her sister’s in-laws’ house at Nijnanduali village in Magura’s Sadar upazila. She went to bed with her sister at night, but in the dead of night, her sister found her missing and began searching for her. After a frantic search, the girl was found unconscious a few yards away from the house. She was initially admitted to Magura General Hospital and later transferred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital as her condition deteriorated. On Thursday, she was moved to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) before being shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka. Meanwhile, university students, including that of Dhaka University, staged demonstrations early Sunday on their respective campuses, demanding the death penalty of the accused. Earlier in the day, Home Affairs Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury visited the girl at the CMH and said the rapists will not be spared as the state is determined to ensure justice.  

The High Court (HC) will deliver judgment any day on the death references, appeals and jail appeals of the convicts in the Ramna Batamul bombing cases filed over two decades ago. An HC bench consisting of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasrin Akter passed the order after ending hearings on the death references and appeals. Defence lawyers SM Shahjahan, Sarwar and Mohammad Shishir Monir stood for the accused while deputy attorney general Sultana Akter Rubi represented the state during the hearing in the court. On April 14, 2001, during the Chhayanat’s Bengali New Year celebrations at Ramna Batamul, a bomb blast left nine people dead on the spot. Another died at the hospital later. Two cases – one for murder and another for explosives -- were filed with Ramna Police Station after the incident. Dhaka's Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge ruled on June 23, 2014 in a murder case involving the bomb attack. DU rape case: Court set to deliver judgement this afternoon Eight people, including Mufti Hannan, the top leader of Harkatul Jihad (Huji), were sentenced to death and six to life imprisonment. However, Mufti Hannan was hanged on April 12, 2017 in a conviction over another grenade attack in Sylhet. The death references and appeals of the convicts were kept waiting for hearing in the High Court. After hearing the death references and other appeals, the court is now set to deliver the verdict any day.

The Appellate Division has deferred the hearing on four petitions, seeking a review of its verdict that scrapped the caretaker government system, for two weeks. A three-member bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice M Ashfaqul Islam, passed the order on Tuesday. Currently, Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed is out of the country. Senior lawyers Joynul Abedin, Sharif Bhuiyan and Shishir Monir stood for the petitioners while Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the state during the hearing in the court. The caretaker government system was introduced in 1996. In 1998, a writ petition was submitted with the High Court (HC) challenging its validity. Jamaat files review petition to reinstate caretaker government The HC dismissed the writ on 4 August 2004, upholding the system's constitutionality. Following this, the writ petitioners appealed in 2005. On May 10, 2011, the Appellate Division declared the Thirteenth Amendment unconstitutional. The caretaker government system was formally abolished through the Fifteenth Amendment, passed in Parliament on 30 June 2011, and gazetted on 3 July that year. BNP wants to reinstate caretaker government system for elections: Tarique Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, five people, including secretary to Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJON) Badiul Alam Majumdar, submitted a petition seeking a review of the verdict. Besides, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed a separate petition on 16 October, while secretary general to Jamaat-e-Islami Mia Golam Parwar, submitted another on 23 October.

The High Court (HC) has cancelled the process of appointing 6, 531 candidates as assistant teachers of government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions. An HC bench consisting of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Shikdar Mahmudur Raji passed the order after hearing a petition on Thursday. The court also directed the authorities to start a fresh recruitment process based on merit. On June 14 in 2023, the government issued a circular for recruiting assistant teacher for the primary schools in both divisions. On October 31 last year, the government published the final results of the recruitment test declaring 6, 531 candidates as successful. Later, 30 candidates submitted a petition with the HC challenging the legality of the recruitment following the abolition of job quota system. Primary school teachers protest at Shaheed Minar, demand implementation of 10th grade salary scale After the primary hearing on November 19, the court stayed the recruitment process for six months. Moreover, the court issued a rule asking as to why the recruitment process should not be declared illegal. Challenging the order, the Directorate of Primary Education submitted a leave-to-appeal with the Appellate Division. Online transfer of primary school teachers begins Jan 20 The court upheld the HC order and ordered to settle the petition within January 25.