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October 5, 2003 

Defamation charge against editor

A Dhaka court has framed charges against the editor and the publisher of the daily Jugantar in the defamation case filed by Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas in the last year. The defendants are Golam Sarwar, editor of the newspaper, publisher Advocate Salma Islam and chairman of the group, Nurul Islam Babul. Metropolitan Magistrate Khondaker Fatema Begum frames charges against the defendants in their presence. The court fixed October 26 for trial of the case. -Jugantar, 29 September.

Five kids rescued from traffickers

Four children abducted from Muktagacha have been rescued from Trishal bus stand in the district town by local people.The rescued children are Shokkuri, 9, Sagar 7, Mintee, 5 and Sirajul 3, all children of one Chan Miah of Elachhai village in Muktagacha upazila. Police reveals that people at the bus stand see the five children weeping and approaches them.They tell the people that they were going to their father at Nutun Bazar at Muktagacha upazila headquarters from their village home. On the way, two persons offered them biscuits and brought them to Mymensingh town. Seeing the unknown place, they started weeping. At this the two persons left them. The children have been handed over to Kotwali police. - The Daily Star, 28 September.

Publication of PSC result stayed

An High Court (HC) Division bench composed of justices Md Mozammel Hossain and Md Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan has stayed the results of the September 26 preliminary test for recruitment of sub-registrars for two months. It has also issued a rule asking the Public Service Commission (PSC) that arranged the test and the establishment secretary to explain why the preliminary test by cancelling the registration of the petitioner, who challenged the test in a writ, should not be declared unlawful and null and void. Mohammed Abdul Halim, an applicant for the sub-registrar post, files the writ with the HC asking for declaration of the examination illegal and holding of the examinations afresh as he was not issued with an admit card. The government is to reply to the HC rule by six weeks. In the preliminary examinations, some 13,000 of the 38,000 applicants did not get admit cards. It is argued that the petitioner applied properly for the post but the PSC arbitrarily cancelled his registration and issued no admit card in his favour. It is a clear violation of the fundamental rights. -Ajker Kagoj, 30 September.

Taxmen and Police tops corruption list

The Bangladesh chapter of Berlin-based Transparency International has reported that the police are the most corrupt institution in Bangladesh whose chronic graft problems have not been improving. In terms of financial loss -- including an estimated one-fifth of the one billion dollars of international aid each year -- the tax and customs departments were the most corrupt. The database of the TIB shows corruption in financial sector as 37.3 percent, police 22.4 in terms of number of corruption incidents, 12.9 in education sector and 10.1 per cent in local government. In 35.9 percent cases, government officials and employees were found indulged in corruption.
The TIB observes that "political will" is needed first for removing corruption. The watchdog also suggests independent anti-corruption commission, appointment of ombudsmen, speedy trial of corrupt people, press freedom, separation of the judiciary and administrative reforms as the remedies. - Ittefaq, 30 September.

Kolkata HC bans rallies on working days

The Kolkata High Court in a judgement has banned processions and public meetings in the city on working days. The judgement says, "people suffer much due to processions and Public Meeting on working days." Few days ago Justice Lala himself had been delayed by several hours to reach the court due to processions in the city that created acute traffic congestion, on the same day the judge summoned the opinion of the police to justify their permission to allow processions and public meetings on working days. Members of the civil society have welcomed this verdict but political parties are disappointed of the ruling. - Independent, 30 September.

Lawyers' court boycotts

Lawyers boycott courts countrywide on October 1 to press their six-point demand, including repeal of the amended Civil Procedure Code, bringing judicial activities to a near-stop. The demonstrators, grouped in the Six-point Demand Implementation Committee, also call for independence of the judiciary, rescinding of the rule on compulsory filing of income tax returns and trade licences, transparency in appointment of judges and recruitment of efficient judges. This boycott is the second since August 6, the day that saw a countrywide court boycott by the same lawyers on the same demands.
Vice-chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council and convenor of the demand implementation committee Barrister Amir-Ul Islam urges the lawyers to join a human chain on October 8, stage a token hunger strike on October 15 and make the October 24 rally a success. The Supreme Court vacation benches pass the day virtually without work because of the absence of pro-boycott lawyers. - Sanbad, 2 October.

Top terror Liakot arrested

At last one of the most wanted criminals Liakot Hossain Howlader has been arrested. Members of the Rapid Action Team (Rat) plant themselves near the Road No 32 bridge and ambush a private car carrying Liakot, one of the 23 most wanted and listed criminals in Dhaka. The team also arrests Liakot's bodyguard Shohag Sardar and driver Badal Hawlader in the spot. Earlier the home ministry announced a reward of Tk 1 lakh for his arrest. Liakot fled to India immediately after the announcement. Liakot has nine cases and four GD entries against him in Motijheel, Tejgaon, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur and Gulshan police stations. He is one of the accused in the armed attack on a procession at the Malibagh intersection on February 13, 2001 in which four people were killed. He is also an accused in one attempt-to-murder case, two arms cases and four cases of robbery. -Bhorer Kagoj, 2 October.

Jail killing trial restarts Oct 20

The trial of the Jail Killing Case is resuming on October 20 after an eight-month stay. Judge of the Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Dhaka, has fixed the date.The High Court (HC) Division on January 26 stayed all proceedings of the Jail Killing Case and issued a rule asking the government to explain why the case should not be heard by the HC itself. The rule came after Zohra Tajuddin filed a petition with the HC for holding trial of the case in the court instead of the lower court. In the petition, she raised the apprehension of not getting justice in the lower court. After hearing, an HC division bench rejected the petition on August 25. The HC observed that there was no need to transfer the case from the lower court. Following the observation, the case is getting a fresh start in the lower court. -The Daily Star, 2 October.

Over 1,000 raped in last 9 months

1,021 women and children raped has been raped in the last nine month all over the country. This was revealed by Odhikar, a coalition for human rights. Twelve traumatised rape victims committed suicide. The report based press reports and Odhikar's own sources also said 278 women were victims of dowry during the same period. Of them, 184 were killed, 20 committed suicide, 67 were physically tortured, 11 sustained injuries from acid attack and two were divorced. During nine months from January to September, law enforcers killed 56 people while 61 others died in their custody. The report also mentioned that casualties from political violence included 306 dead and 4,779 injured; 1,885 were arrested on political grounds. Incidents of human rights violation in the hill tracts accounted for 28 cases of murder and 85 abductions. Twenty women and children were also raped and 84 people sustained injuries in different incidents. Child victims of violence numbered 1,212 -- 339 were killed, 257 injured, 383 raped, 85 committed suicide, 49 sustained acid burns and 99 fell victims of trafficking. -The Daily Star,1 October.

Nurul Islam murder case free for trial

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has stayed the order of the High Court Division on Advocate Nurul Islam Murder case for three months. The Order came on a petition submitted by the Government against the High Court Division order. Following the order of the chamber judge of the Appellate Division, the trial of the case will continue. The case is now pending with the Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal, Chittagong. On September 22, the High Court Division stayed the proceedings of the trial court in the case on hearing of a writ petition filed by accused Md Abu Taher , his wife and three others with the High Court Division. -The Daily Star, 25 September.

Cabinet Okays amendment to CPC

The cabinet has approved the draft of the amendment to the amended Civil Procedure Code Ordinance, 2003. The amended CPC was scheduled to take effect 01 October but with the presidential promulgation of the ordinance, it will be put on hold indefinitely. However, lawyers have made it clear that they will accept nothing short of a total repeal of the amended CPC, excepting for its Section 115, and are set to boycott courts across the country tomorrow. -Law Desk.

Muslim teacher wins fight over headscarf

Ultimately the highest court in Germany has ruled that a Muslim teacher has the right to wear a headscarf in class. Thirty-one year-old Fereshta Ludin was denied a job in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in 1998 because she insisted on keeping her head covered in school. The State said her headscarf would contravene Germany's constitutional religious neutrality, an argument that was upheld by a lower federal court last year. Ludin argued that the Constitution guaranteed religious freedom. The German Constitutional Court has now ruled by five votes to three votes that, under current law, she can wear the scarf. However, the Court says that German states should seek to find an acceptable balance in law between religious freedom and neutrality in schools. - The Daily Star, 25 September.