The High Court has rapped police while hearing a petition challenging the legality of refusal by a police inspector in Satkhira to lodge a case.
It observed that some officers-in-charge (OCs) of police stations set up courts at night wherever they choose to for conducting arbitrations.
“Where do they get such audacity?” said the bench of justices FRM Nazmul Ahasan and KM Kamrul Kader on Tuesday (Apr 2).
The court’s observation came while hearing a petition challenging the legality of refusal by the OC Shyamnagar Police Station in Satkhira to register a case by one Md Fazlur Rahman.
The court has fixed Apr 7 for further hearing and to give its decision, petitioner’s counsel Md Shamsul Huq Kanchan told the media after the hearing.
He said one Yusuf Ali and his men attacked and tortured his client Fazlur Rahman on the night of Feb 17.
They had also looted Tk 200,000 in cash, gold ornaments, and valuables worth Tk 50,000 from Fazlur and damaged the boundary wall of his residence, said the lawyer.
Local Shyamnagar police’s OC Habil Hossain was reported over phone and requested for help.
But, the OC refused to help Fazlur saying that he was busy with other works, Kanchan said adding that his client then informed the superintendent of police (SP).
On Feb 26, the Satkhira SP asked Shyamnagar OC to take steps, but no case was lodged.
Fazlur moved the High Court and filed a petition on Mar 3 challenging legality of the OC’s refusal to record the case.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Assistant Attorney General Saiful Alam informed the court that the incident of refusing to lodge a case was “partially true”.
“Why didn’t the OC register a case? Let’s issue a rule to find out.
“OC’s set up courts wherever they want. Are they OCs there to conduct arbitrations? They lodge cases if it’s convenient while filing general diaries costs money at police stations,” the court said.
The court observed that entire force suffers from bad reputation for the 13,000 policemen posted in stations.