Law
Week
Govt confirms US citizen's deportation
The government confirmed the rounding up and extradition of Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, a 19-year-old US citizen of Bangladeshi origin. According to unconfirmed reports, a special chartered plane secretly took Sadequee back to the USA just three days into his capture in Dhaka. He faces a charge of planning terrorist attack in the USA. His father Sarder Mohammed Sharif gave some medicines to US embassy officials who promised to hand those over to his son. Sadequee's activities were suspicious; so he was sent back to the USA, State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar told reporters emerging out of a meeting with the new US ambassador to Bangladesh, Patricia A Butenis. "No extradition treaty is needed for that," he said, adding, "We have deported many people. Every year we extradite five to seven people to the USA." The Daily Star, April 24.
Contempt rule for skipping SC directives
3 secys apologise, 1 seeks exoneration
Three of the four top bureaucrats facing contempt rule for non-compliance with the Supreme Court's (SC) 12-point directive on separation of the judiciary apologised to the apex court for their 'unintended mistakes'. All the four bureaucrats--Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister (PM) Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Law Secretary Alauddin Sarder, Finance Secretary Siddiqur Rahman and Establishment Secretary Dr Mahbubur Rahman--submitted their replies to the contempt rule. Of the four, the establishment secretary appealed for exonerating him, saying that he had nothing to do with what has been done for separation of the judiciary as he had joined the post afterwards. The rest three offered unreserved apology to the court. On receipt of the replies, the five-member full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain fixed May 15 as the date for hearing on the rule. The SC issued the rule on April 3, asking the four secretaries to explain in three weeks why a contempt charge should not be brought against them. The Daily Star, April 25.
Bangla Bhai's wife sent to jail
Fahima Chowdhury, wife of JMB second-in-command Bangla Bhai, was sent to jail on Monday following her confessional statement to a court in Netrakona. The police produced Fahima before the first class magistrate court one day before the expiry of her 15-day remand. Magistrate Aminul Islam ordered to sent her to jail after recording her statement under section 164. In her confessional statement, Fahima said that December 8 blast in Netrakona was planned at Nongar Bhaban in Akua Haji Bari of Mymensingh town on the night of December 6 in presence of Bangla Bhai and three other JMB Shura members. Police did not reveal their names for the sake of the investigation. The aim of the blast that took place before the Netrakona Udichi office was to kill people and damage the office completely, she added. Fahima also confessed that the letter of JMB, which was found at the spot of the blast, was written by her. She also mentioned the name of the suicide bomber who blasted the bomb, but the IO of the case refused to disclose it. The Daily Star, April 26.
Provision of district ministers illegal: HC
The High Court (HC) declared the government's provision of ministers in-charge of districts illegal and unconstitutional. The verdict came following long sessions of hearing over the last year of the rule of a writ petition filed on May 17, 2003 by Anwar Hossain Monju, lawmaker and chairman of a Jatiya Party faction. The writ challenged the constitutional validity of the government notification dated November 12, 2001 that empowered ministers and others with charges of different districts to take care of development work and law and order. The Cabinet Division issued the gazette notification appointing 62 cabinet ministers, advisers to ministries, chief whip, state ministers, whips and deputy ministers to discharge additional responsibilities and charges in 62 districts to look after overall development and law and order situation. On May 18, 2003, an HC division bench of Justice Abdur Rashid and Justice Siddiqur Rahman Miah served a notice on the government asking it to explain why delegating ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, chief whip and whips charge of 62 districts would not be declared illegal. The court gave the government two weeks' time to clarify. An HC division bench comprising Justice ABM Khairul Huq and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir delivered the verdict yesterday, declaring the government provision illegal. The Daily Star, April 28.
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