The High Court has ordered the repatriation of 157 foreign prisoners awaiting repatriation after serving their sentences for various crimes in different jails of the country.
The High Court bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque gave this order after hearing the writ petition on Thursday.
On January 21, the report informed that there are 157 foreign prisoners awaiting repatriation after serving their sentences for various crimes in the country's prisons.
Among them, 150 citizens are from India, five from Myanmar and one each from Pakistan and Nepal. As many as 19 out of 157 are women. This information is revealed in a report sent by the Prisons Directorate following the order of the High Court.
According to the state side, even though the sentence is severe, these people have to be repatriated to their country in a process by contacting the concerned country as they are citizens of other countries. It is also not possible to release them until the process is over.
Cases have been filed against these imprisoned foreign nationals under the Control of Entry Act, 1952, Passport (Offences) Act, 1952, and Narcotics Control Act, 1990.
Among these 157 people, Govind Uriya, 26, a resident under Kamalpur police station in the Indian state of Tripura, is one.
On January 19, 2022, he was arrested by members of the Border Guard Bangladesh for infiltrating through Srimangal in Moulvibazar.
On the same day, BGB handed over the arrested person to Srimangal police station and filed a case in his name.
After the investigation, the investigating officer issued the charge sheet on February 4 of the same year. He was charged under Section 242 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and Section 4 of the Control of Entry Act, 1952.
At the end of the trial, the Moulvibazar Fourth Judicial Court's Judge M Mizbah Ur Rahman convicted him but as there was no charge of trespassing against him in the past, Govind Uriya was sentenced to 2 months and 10 days in prison.
Two years have passed after this verdict, but Govind Uriya has not been repatriated.
Supreme Court lawyer Bibhuti Tarafder filed a writ in the High Court on January 11, adding the media reports in this regard.
The writ challenged the release of jailed prisoner Govind Uriya and the inaction of those concerned in his repatriation.
On January 15, after the preliminary hearing in this writ, the High Court gave the order along with the rule.
Govind Uriya was ordered to be released from prison in the interim order.
Besides, the court asked to provide the list of foreign nationals who have been imprisoned without arranging repatriation even after serving punishment.
With this order to the Inspector General of Prisons, the date of the next order was kept on March 10.
The Prisons Directorate then sent the report to the attorney general's office for submission to the court.