The High Court has issued a rule asking why the records of people convicted in criminal cases should not be digitised and made publicly accessible.
The court directed the secretaries of the Home and Law ministries, along with other relevant authorities, to respond to the rule within four weeks.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice Fatema Anwar issued the rule on Sunday following a writ petition seeking the creation of a public online database of convicted criminals.
Barrister Fahmida Akhter appeared for the petitioner at the hearing.
Speaking to reporters, Fahmida said crime was increasing in the country and an online database of convicted criminals could help deter repeat offences by exposing their criminal records to the public.
“If such a database is implemented, I believe it would serve two purposes,” she said.
First, she said, making the records publicly available would discourage repeat offending due to fear of social criticism, ostracism and isolation from society, potentially helping reduce crime.
Second, she said Bangladesh has laws prescribing punishment for various offences but lacks adequate preventive measures and infrastructure to verify a person’s background before employing them or allowing them to work or stay in a household.
“I believe such an online database would help uphold citizens’ constitutional rights,” Fahmida said.
She said she had filed the writ petition seeking a directive to establish a publicly accessible database of convicted criminals.
Following the hearing, the High Court issued the rule, asking why such a directive should not be issued, she added.