The government on Thursday ordered legal action against a dismissed deputy secretary who threatened to kill a lawyer by claiming himself as an additional secretary.
Abul Mossaddek Azad, a former deputy secretary of the government, allegedly threatened to kill a lawyer by holding a firearm to his head during the proceedings of a civil case in a Dhaka court on Wednesday.
Muhibul Haq, a joint secretary of the public administration ministry, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that the ministry could not take any departmental action against Azad because he was not in the civil service anymore.
Azad was dismissed in 2009 for misconduct while he was working as a deputy secretary (OSD), Muhibul added.
He, however, said the public administration ministry could take “legal” action against Azad for committing the offence of claiming to have the portfolio that he did not have and damaging image of the civil servants.
“We have asked the officials concerned [of the public administration ministry] to take legal action against him,” the joint secretary said.
Officials informed that Azad’s misconduct included a “tampering with his personal Annual Confidential Report in 2001” for which the ministry filed a departmental case against him in 2007.
He was dismissed from service in 2009 after the case was settled in which he was found guilty.
The same year, Azad appealed to the Administrative Appellate Tribunal following the settlement of which he got back his job. The 1984 BCS officer was then sent to compulsory retirement.
Police said on Wednesday that Azad, claiming himself to be an additional secretary, appeared for plaintiff by power of attorney before a Dhaka civil court for the hearing of a case.
At one point, the defence lawyer sought time from the court for submitting some documents to which Azad reacted sharply; bringing out a pistol from his waist and he threatened to kill the defence lawyer.
When the judge intervened, Azad replied that he need not listen to the judge’s order because he was an additional secretary.
The Judge later sent a letter to the public administration ministry asking for actions against Azad.