The court directed the chief metropolitan magistrate, Dhaka to send the record of the case to it by the date. It also directed for putting the case ahead of others on April 24 for hearing and order.

The division bench of Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Justice AKM Asaduzzaman issued the rule upon the home secretary, district magistrate and deputy commissioner, Dhaka, chief metropolitan magistrate, Dhaka, and officer-in-charge of the police station concerned.

The Daily Star on April 14 ran a report on the surrender of the baby boy before a Dhaka court as an accused in an attempted murder case. He was granted bail upon a bond of Tk 5,000 with two guarantors including a lawyer by Metropo-litan Magistrate Mohammad Towfiqul Alam.

Section 82 of the Bangladesh Penal Code says implication of a child below 7 years of age in a criminal case is illegal.

The police officer concerned has acted beyond his jurisdiction and committed an illegal act by accepting and registering a criminal case against a 3-year-old child, the High Court observed in the order.