Law-&-Order
HC to hear writ seeking directions to rein in edible oil prices Monday
The High Court has fixed Monday to hear a writ petition seeking directions to control the price of loose and bottled soybean oil in the market.
A division bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and SM Moniruzzaman passed the order following the writ's presentation at the court by petitioner’s lawyer advocate Syed Mohidul Kabir.
The petition also challenged the government's inactivity to control the price hike of soybean oil.
Also read: Commerce ministry seeks BTTC report before raising edible oil price
The directions sought include forming a monitoring cell and proper guidelines for keeping the edible oil prices under control was sought in the petition.
Three Supreme Court lawyers, advocate Monir Hossain, advocate Syed Mohidul Kabir and advocate Mohammad Ullah were the petitioners of the writ.
Commerce secretary, Consumer Rights Protection authority and other concerned were made respondents in the writ petition.
On March 3, the three lawyers brought the court’s attention to the matter by presenting a news report on a dishonest group of traders hiking edible oil prices in Bangladesh taking the opportunity of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Also read: Edible oil price increased in line with manufacturers' proposal
They said, on March 2, consumers had to buy loose soybean oil at Tk 175 per litre while the government has fixed the price at Tk 143.
On the court’s suggestion, the lawyers submitted a petition following the proper procedures in this regard.
3 brothers to hang for killing uncle in Cox’s Bazar
A Chattogram court on Sunday sentenced three brothers to death in a case filed over abducting and then killing their uncle by slitting his throat in Chakaria upazila in Cox’s Bazar.
The court sentenced another brother to life imprisonment and acquitted one more accused from charges during the hearing.
Chattogram divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Mozammel Haque passed the verdict during a hearing.
Also read: Drug trader sentenced to death in Gaibandha
The death row convicts are Abu Bakkar Siddique, Yunus Manik, and Ibrahim Mostafa Kaiyum, sons of Nurul Ajiz from Maganpara village in Badarkhali union of the upazila.
The lifer is their brother Md Sohayet.
The court also fined Tk 50,000 each to the death row convicts and Tk 10,000 to the lifer.
Except Abu Bakkar Siddique, all the others were sentenced in absentia, said Public Prosecutor of the court Ayub Khan.
On June 30, 2016, victim Nurul Huda, then president of the union faction of Awami League, was at a tea stall in Badarkhali Bazar and commented, “All the war criminals will get hanged one by one”.
Also read: Daughter, contract killer arrested for murder of mother in Gazipur
Abu Bakkar got into an argument with Huda over the comment, and abducted his uncle later assisted by other accused in an auto-rickshaw and killed him.
On July 2, 2016, a case was filed at Chakaria police station following a complaint by Nurul Huda’s son Mohammad Shahjahan.
BFAA election: Chamber judge stays HC order after Nipun's appeal
A High Court decsion that earlier validated actor Zayed Khan as general secretary of the Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association (BFAA) has been stayed for four months.
Justice Obaidul Hassan, chamber judge of SC's Appellate Division, passed the order after an appeal by actress Nipun Akter, the key election rival of Zayed.
Read:Zayed Khan to remain gen secy of BFAA: HC
The chamber judge also ordered status-quo over holding the post.
Zayed's lawyer said that the actor can now continue in office as he has already taken oath.
Advocate Ahsanul Karim and Nahid Sultana Juthi stood for Zayed while Barrister Rokon Uddin Mahmud and Barrister Mostafizur Rahman argued for actress Nipun.
On March 2, the High Court cleared the way for Zayed to serve as the general secretary of the BFFA after striking down the decision of the Election Appeal Board of the association.
Nipun again took the fight to the court and filed an appeal before the Appellate Division.
Read: BFAA election: Appellate Division orders HC to settle Nipun-Zayed dispute
The association election was held on January 28.
Zayed was declared the winner for the general secretary post, after he defeated Nipun in a close contest.
But Nipun launched a legal fight challenging legality of Zayed's candidacy and accusing him of vote fraud.
Drug trader sentenced to death in Gaibandha
A Gaibandha court on Sunday sentenced a man to death for selling drugs in 2019. The convict was Zahirul Islam, of Gobindaganj upazila of the district.
Read:3 ‘drug traders’ killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’ According to the prosecution, police arrested Zahirul along with 250 grams of heroin while selling drugs at Gobindaganj municipality bazar on June 2, 2019. A case was filed in this regard. After examining the records and witnesses, Gaibandha District and s Judge Dilip Kumar Bhoumik handed down the judgment.
Abducted girl rescued in Sylhet; youth held
A 15-year-old girl was rescued from a house in the West Pirmahalla area of Sylhet on Friday night.
The kidnapper, identified as Nur Islam, 20, son of Abdus Chattar of Debipur village in Chandpur district, was also arrested from the same house, police said.
According to the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), Nur Islam abducted the girl and confined her to his house. Victim's family filed a kidnapping case in this regard.
Read: 9-year old killed after being hit by truck in city, driver held
Later, police raided the place at around 8:45 pm on Friday and rescued the girl and arrested Nur Islam.
The victim has been sent to the OCC department of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital for treatment.
The accused was brought before the court on Saturday.
Dhaka, Colombo celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties; eye greater cooperation
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka started the celebration of the 50 years of diplomatic ties with a hybrid webinar at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in Colombo Friday.
The speakers highlighted the commonalities and historical linkages between the two countries.
They also discussed the existing bilateral cooperation and the prospect of sectoral cooperation, especially in trade, commerce, shipping, connectivity, and people-to-people contact.
In presence of high dignitaries from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the programme began with the national anthem of both the countries followed by an exchange of goodwill messages between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.
With gratitude, Sheikh Hasina recalled Sri Lanka's recognition of independent Bangladesh on March 4, 1972.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over existing friendly relations between the two countries.
Daughter, contract killer arrested for murder of mother in Gazipur
Police arrested a woman and the contract killer she hired to murder her own mother from Sreepur municipality in Gazipur on Thursday.
The arrestees are- Shefali, 35, wife of Farid, a resident of Kewa Purba Khand village in Sreepur and Sohail Rana, 25, son of Meraj Uddin of Kharia Kazirchar village at Srivardi in Sherpur district, said Ajmir Hossain, assistant superintendent of Kaliakair Circle police at a press briefing on Friday.
During primary interrogation, they confessed to killing Minara, 57, wife of Abu Taher of Kewa Purba Khand village, he added. “The accused are now in Gazipur jail."
On February 11, police recovered the throat-slit body of Minara from a secluded place in Sadhukhara Tech area, 5 km away from her house.
He also said that Sohail Rana demanded Tk 1 lakh for killing her mother. Shefali agreed to his proposal and paid Tk 15,000 in advance.
According to the plan, Shefali left the house with her mother in the evening on February 10, telling her that they would be going to listen to waz. On the way, Shefali hit her mother in the head with a brick and Sohail slit her throat confirming her death.
3 sentenced to life in absentia for 2015 murder in Chandpur
A Chandpur court on Thursday served life sentences to three persons in a case filed over beating a man to death at Shahpur village in Faridganj upazila in the district,
The lifers are Bulu Begum, 45, her son Md Emran Hossain, 27, and Abdul Momin, 32, all residents of the Shahapur village.
Chandpur District and Session Court Judge SM Ziaur Rahman passed the verdict while the three convicts remained absconding, said Moktar Ahamed Ovi, Assistant Public Prosecutor of the court.
According to the case complaint, on October 17, 2015, the accused attacked Abdul Hannan, 55, in his house with locally made arms over an earlier dispute regarding property.
Hannan and his wife Shamsunnahar, 37, suffered severe injuries during the attack and were taken to Faridganj Upazila Health Complex. The duty doctor there announced Hannan dead on arrival.
A murder case was filed in this regard at Faridganj police station following a complaint lodged by Hannan’s wife accusing eight people and four more anonymous.
On November 29, 2015, Muhammad Humayun Kabir, investigation officer in the case and then Sub-Inspector of Faridganj police station submitted the charge sheet in the case.
Judgment in Hoseni Dalan blast case on March 15
The Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal has fixed March 15 to deliver the judgment in the case over bomb blast at Hoseni Dalan during the preparation for Tajia procession ahead of the holy Ashura in 2015.
Tribunal judge Mojibur Rahman fixed the date on Thursday after hearing the arguments of both the state and the defence counsels, said defence lawyer Faruq Ahamed.
On October 23, 2015, five members of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) blasted a bomb at Hoseni Dalan which killed two people and injured hundreds more.
Also read: JMB man gets life term jail for 2005 bomb blasts
A case was filed with the city’s Chawkbazar police station in this regard and later it was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) police for investigation.
In October, 2016, Md Shafiuddin Sheikh, Inspector of DB (south) submitted a charge sheet in the case accusing 10 militants after getting approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
On May 31, 2017, a court framed charges against the 10 accused and official trial in the case began.
On May 14, 2018, the case was transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal where lawyers of two accused claimed that they were minor and submitted documents in this regard.
Also read: Worker dies in Ctg gas cylinder blast
Later the court announced the two accused as juvenile and asked the investigation officer to submit a supplementary charge sheet mentioning them as under-age.
Their cases are currently under trial at the juvenile court.
The eight accused JMB members in the case are Omar Faruq Manik, Hafiz Ahsan Ullah Mahmud, Sahjalal Mia, Chan Mia, Kabir Hossain alias Rashed, Rubel Islam alias Shajb, Abu Sayeed alias Solayman or Symon, Arman alias Monir.
Of them, Arman, Rubel and Kabir gave confessional statements before court.
The court also recorded statements of 31 witnesses in the case.
2 ‘Ansar Al Islam men' held in Narail
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members have detained two suspected members of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam from Betbaria area of Narail on Wednesday.
The arrestees were Md Abu Nayeem, 25, son of Moniruzzaman Khan of Mirzapur village of Narail Sadar and Shahriar Rana, 22, son of Abu Sayed Sheikh of Raghunathpur village.
Read: SC to resume physical operations from Sunday
A team of RAB-6 conducted a drive at Masud Miah’s house in the area and detained them.
Shahriar Rana was working as the treasurer of Khulna unit of Ansar-al-Islam, said a RAB press release.
The elite force members also seized books on extremism and laptops from their possessions.
Later, Rab members handed them over to Narail Sadar police on Wednesday night.
Read: Fake magistrate held in Jashore
On Thursday, a case was filed in this regard.
Legal action will be taken in this regard, said Mahmudur Rahman, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Narail Sadar Police Station.