Law
week
SC sits Nov 29 for hearing
The Supreme Court adjourned till November 29 the hearing on Khaleda Zia's appeal that challenged the High Court's verdict regarding the government notice to vacate her cantonment home. A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque, adjourned the hearing after Khaleda's lawyer TH Khan sought more time. The court did not stay the HC verdict that upheld the government notice to Khaleda asking her to vacate the house. The HC in that verdict on October 13 said the procedure through which the house was given to Khaleda was illegal. It asked the government to give Khaleda 30 days' time to vacate the house. -The Daily Star, November 11, 2010.
Mobile courts to punish stalkers
Mobile courts can now try stalkers on the spot by sentencing them to one-year imprisonment or fining or both. A gazette notification was issued to this effect yesterday empowering the executive magistrates to try stalkers. This has been done by incorporating Section 509 of the Penal Code into the rules of the Mobile Court Act 2009. The amendment has been brought about in a bid to strap up the alarming trend of stalking across the country. Earlier, home ministry sent a proposal, to include stalking in the mobile court law's scheduled offences, to law ministry for approval. -The Daily Star, November 11, 2010.
Compensation scheme okayed
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved a Tk 191 crore project with a compensation package for rehabilitating the affected people of Barapukuria coal mine. Some 3,384 people will be given compensation under this package. The approval came from the Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Ecnec meeting sources said the affected people in the coalmine area will receive Tk 20 lakh per hectare of farmland and Tk 25 lakh per hectare of homeland. Even the landless people will receive Tk 2 lakh each. -The Daily Star, November 10, 2010.
35 jawans convicted
The Special Court-16 of Bangladesh Rifles sentenced 35 jawans of Bolipara camp of 10 Rifle Battalion in Bandarban to different terms in prison for their involvement in the mutiny on February 25-26 last year. In addition to jail terms, the court also fined each convict Tk 100. The convicts are to serve prison terms ranging from a minimum of six months to a maximum of seven years. Four BDR men were sentenced to seven years' term, while two to six years', eight to five years', one to four and half a years', four to four years', six to three years', four to two years', one to a year's and the remaining five to six months of imprisonment. -The Daily Star, November 10, 2010.
Developer warned about a year back
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha had served a deviation notice about a year ago to the developer of the seven-storey Asia Haider Tower in Kathalbagan of the capital that tilted and sank into the ground on Sunday night, but the developer had not responded to the notice. The tower tilted onto a 17-storey building next to it before sinking into the ground by about 10 feet. Despite receiving the Rajuk notice, the developer Asia Comtech Bangladesh constructed the faulty tower only 17 feet away from the next building. But according to the approved design, the building was supposed to be constructed 25 feet away form the next one, said Aminur Rahman, authorised officer 1 of Rajuk. The tilted building is among 5,000 such structures in the capital, identified by Rajuk as buildings in violation of rules, and risking the neighbourhoods. -The Daily Star, November 09, 2010.
All 30 BCL men now out on bail
Sharmeen of Pabna Speedy Trial Tribunal granted the bail after the accused appeared before the court and sought bail on the plea that other accused in the same case got bail. Twenty-one accused surrendered before the judicial magistrate's court on September 26 and another four on October 6. And police arrested five soon after the incident. The case was filed with Pabna Sadar Police Station immediately after the incident accusing 31 leaders and workers of ruling Awami League and the party backed organisations. More than 100 Jubo League and Chhatra League activists on September 17 attacked two exam centres during a recruitment test of class-III employees for the deputy commissioner's office. -The Daily Star, November 09, 2010.
Shipping Dept officials asked
to explain
The High Court issued a rule upon two shipping department high officials to explain within two weeks why they should not be punished for issuing no objection certificates (NOC) for import of two toxic ships for scrapping, despite the court's stay order on such issuance. An HC bench of Justice Md Imman Ali and Justice Farid Ahmed issued the rule upon Shipping Department Director General (DG) Rear Admiral Bazlur Rahman and its Chief Chemist Mosharraf Ashraf following a contempt of court petition filed against them by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela). The HC on March 5, 2009, through a ruling, prohibited import of any vessel tainted with "hazardous waste or contaminating hazardous materials, which has not been decontaminated at source". This year, ship breakers appealed against the order, but the Supreme Court upheld the HC order and asked the ship breakers to implement the directives. -The Daily Star, November 08, 2010.
Attorney gen appeals to SC for retrial
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam prayed to the Supreme Court for retrial of the jail killing case. He made the prayer before the Appellate Division of the SC during a hearing on a leave-to-appeal petition filed against the acquittal of Dafadar (dismissed) Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar (dismissed) Abul Hashem Mridha by the High Court of the charges relating to the jail killing. He said trial of offences of association and participation in the killing was held, but the offence of hatching the conspiracy to kill four national leaders in jail was not tried. Shah Moazzem, Monzoor and Khairuzzaman were accused in the jail killing case, but were acquitted by the trial court on October 20, 2004, as the accusation against them of conspiracy was not proved. -The Daily Star, November 08, 2010.
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