A High Court bench has given a split verdict on a petition seeking order to investigate ‘false’ cases stacked against the party’s supporters, activists and senior pro-BNP lawyers.
While Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury issued a rule and ordered the IGP to submit a report by 60 days after probing the cases in Dhaka, the other judge Ashraful Kamal scrapped the petition.
As per rule, the matter will now be forwarded to the chief justice, who will assign another bench to hear the matter.
The petition was filed on Sept 23 by lawyers Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Nitai Roy Chowdhury and Sanaullah Miah.
Khandaker Mahbub is a BNP vice-chairman, Chowdhury a former BNP minister while Sanaullah is the party’s legal affairs secretary.
The petition said that police have filed 4,000 cases against political activists across the country between Sept 1 and 20.
Police have even named deceased people in the cases, it said.
It called for the formation of an independent commission to investigate ‘false’ cases stacked against the party’s supporters, activists and senior pro-BNP lawyers.
The writ urged the court to issue a rule declaring the ‘false’ cases illegal. The petitioners also sought legal action against those filing such cases.
The home secretary, the inspector general of police, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, the Detective Branch’s deputy commissioner (north zone) and the chiefs of the Ramna and Shahbag police stations are among the defendants named in the petition.
The petition also called for the court to issue an order blocking the cases against the petitioners and other opposition activists.
On Monday, the matter came up for hearing at the bench of justices Chowdhury and Kamal.
Before hearing the arguments by the petitioners’ counsel, the court went through documents of the some of the case, which were attached with the petition.
It said that these kinds of cases damages police’s credibility as well as tarnishes its image.
“What kind of message the people will get if a senior lawyer like Khandaker Mahbub is accused in these cases?” the court said.
After hearing arguments by the petitioners’ lawyer, the court was adjourned till Tuesday, when it heard the State’s argument before issuing a split verdict.
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