Bangladesh: Litigants in distress after judicial services remain suspended in Barishal

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Dhaka, Feb 26 (IANS) Several of the litigants in Bangladesh’s Barishal district have been unable to access judicial services following the suspension of court activities for three consecutive days in protest over the arrest of the district bar association and the filing of a case against 12 lawyers, local media reported.

As the judicial services in all courts, including the District and Sessions Judge’s Court, remained non-functional, several litigants who arrived at the premises on Thursday morning left without any progress in their cases.

Reports suggest that one of the litigants, Sabuj Hawlader, was seen going from one courtroom to another until noon, carrying his case documents.

Addressing reporters on the court premises, he said a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act was lodged three months and 10 days ago against three individuals, including Akbar Ali Hawlader, who is currently on bail, Bangladeshi leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.

“When we moved the High Court seeking bail, it directed us to apply before the lower court. But for the last three days, the court’s activities have remained suspended. I have been unable to file the bail petition,” Sabuj said.

He added that the time limit for submitting the bail application ends on Sunday.

“With Friday and Saturday being holidays, Thursday was effectively the last working day. But as the courts are not functioning, I am deeply worried,” he said.

According to the lawyers, a case was filed on Wednesday under the Speedy Trial Act against the President of the Barishal District Bar Association, Sadiqur Rahman Linkon, along with 11 other lawyers, on charges of courtroom vandalism and intimidating a judge.

On Tuesday afternoon, a group of agitating lawyers, reportedly led by Linkon, vandalised the courtroom of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, with CCTV footage of the incident later circulating on social media.

The case was registered by Rajib Majumder, bench assistant of the court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, following which Linkon was arrested and sent to jail later that afternoon.

On Thursday morning, protesting lawyers demanded his immediate release on bail and threatened to suspend court activities indefinitely if he was not released within the day.

“Judicial activities across Barishal have remained suspended for 72 hours. Litigants are suffering, but when lawyers themselves are facing injustice, there is little we can do,” The Daily Star quoted one of the protesting lawyers as saying on condition of anonymity.

He warned that the agitation would continue until the authorities withdraw the “false case” and grant bail to the bar association president.

–IANS

scor/sd/

Related Posts

Man held for gang-raping physically challenged wife in Tripura

Agartala, March 19 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a physically challenged woman was allegedly gang-raped by her husband and five of his friends, police said on Wednesday.

An official said that police arrested the husband Subrata Dey and are on the lookout for five others suspected involved in the heinous crime.

The official said that police registered a case of gang rape on March 14 in Amtali police station, near Agartala, and have arrested Dey so far. The accused is the victim’s husband, who along with his five friends, committed the crime at Jogendranagar, on the outskirts of Agartala, the official said.

According to police, Subrata Dey since his marriage has been residing at his in-laws’ house in Jogendranagar. The gang-rape occurred recently and the victim’s family filed an FIR in Amtali police station on March 14.

During the crime, the victim’s father and mother were not at home and police suspect that Subrata Dey and his friends committed the crime under the influence of alcohol. Prime accused Dey worked in a private pathological laboratory.

Police have booked six accused in the case and are actively searching for the remaining five. The victim, 75, is a disabled woman. Officials said that the investigation was on in the fastest way and hoped that during the interrogation of Dey, police would be able to collect information about five other accused persons and would soon also be able to arrest them.

Meanwhile, the case has sparked outrage, with demands for stringent punishment for the perpetrators. The police assured that justice would be served, emphasising that all efforts are being made to ensure the arrest of the remaining accused and to ensure justice for the disabled woman.

–IANS

sc/uk

Ahmedabad cracks down on illegal occupancy in PMAY EWS houses; 367 under scrutiny

Ahmedabad, Oct 21 (IANS) The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has launched a crackdown on illegal occupancy in Economically Weaker Section housing units constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The action follows multiple complaints that beneficiaries had rented or transferred their allotted houses to unauthorised residents.

The Estate Department has stated that stringent and continuous checks will be carried out in the coming weeks to identify more instances of illegal occupancy in both Economically Weaker Section and other government housing schemes.

During an extensive inspection drive conducted by the AMC Estate Department across 5,611 Economically Weaker Section houses in various city zones, officials discovered that 367 units were occupied by individuals other than the original allottees. In response, the corporation has sealed 35 houses and issued show-cause notices to the owners of the remaining units, demanding explanations for the violations.

Officials said that in many cases, students and salaried employees were found living in properties meant exclusively for low-income families.

The AMC clarified that such misuse of government-allotted housing violates PMAY norms and could lead to cancellation of the housing allocation. The PMAY is a flagship housing scheme launched by the Government of India with the goal of providing affordable housing for all.

Under this scheme, specific provisions are made for the Economically Weaker Sections, basically families with an annual income of up to ₹3 lakh.

The government provides financial assistance and subsidies to help these families own safe and permanent homes, particularly in urban areas where housing costs are high. Houses built under the Economically Weaker Section category are typically smaller, low-cost units built through a partnership between central, state, and local governments, and are allotted to eligible beneficiaries after proper verification.

These houses are non-transferable, meaning beneficiaries cannot sell, rent, or allow others to occupy them, as the units are meant to ensure secure shelter for economically disadvantaged families.

–IANS

janvi/rad

Chinese nationals accuse Karachi police of harassment, withdraw complaint ahead of Zardari’s Beijing visit

Karachi, Feb 3 (IANS) Six Chinese nationals, who filed a complaint against the local police in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, decided to withdraw their harassment complaint on Monday after the provincial government in Sindh assured them of a thorough investigation, a day ahead of President Asif Ali Zardari’s five-day visit to China beginning Tuesday.

The Chinese nationals, who run multiple businesses in Karachi, had filed a complaint in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on January 25, complaining of harassment and mistreatment at the hands of local police authorities in the name of security issues.

In their complaint, they stated that, like thousands of other Chinese citizens, they too had come to Pakistan after fulfilling all legal formalities and invested a lot in terms of money and resources in various business ventures in the country.

However, the petitioners contended that Sindh police had engaged in repeated acts of harassment over the last seven months, including imposing restrictions on their movements within the Karachi city and Sindh province.

The petitioners also stated that they were subjected to unjustified detainments at their residences on the pretext of security issues and without any legal ground or specific incident. They accused police officials deputed at their residences of demanding anywhere between Rs 30,000-50,000 for granting permissions to go out.

In their complaint, they mentioned that the local police in Karachi also sealed seven industrial units of some Chinese nationals under the pretext of security issues, and without any legal notice. Many Chinese nationals, they asserted, are now preparing to wrap up their business in Sindh and instead invest in Lahore, or even leave the country due to the unjustified treatment by the Pakistani authorities.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) had issued notices to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and its Consulate in Karachi, along with provincial and federal law officers to respond to the allegations and complaints filed by the Chinese nationals.

However, the Chinese nationals have now decided to withdraw their complaint after getting assurances from the provincial and the federal governments that the matter will be investigated and people responsible for misconduct held accountable.

Sources say that the issue became a priority for the Pakistani authorities as President Asif Ali Zardari will be beginning his five-day trip to Beijing, starting Tuesday.

The Pakistan Foreign Office stated that Zardari will be in Beijing from February 4 to 8.

“At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will pay a state visit to China from Feb 4-8,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan.

Pakistan wanted to ensure that the case of harassment of Chinese nationals is put to rest before the President’s Beijing visit.

Security of Chinese nationals across Pakistan, especially in Karachi, has been beefed up after the deadly blast outside the Karachi International Airport that killed two Chinese nationals in October last year. China had severely criticised the incident and called on Islamabad to protect the lives of its citizens working in the country.

–IANS

int/hamza/as