The High Court yesterday gave order that from now the Criminal Investigation Department would conduct enquiry into the gruesome murder of seven people in Narayanganj instead of investigating the incident.
The bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order, rejecting a state petition to exclude the CID from the probe into the incident.
The court said the Detective Branch of police, the main investigating agency for the case, would press charge sheets after conductive regular investigation.
After scrutinising reports of the CID, the seven-member government probe body and Rapid Action Battalion, however, the bench might direct the investigation officer to include additional information or document as evidence in the main report.
Later, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said they would move the Appellate Division against the High Court decision.
At the beginning of the hearing around 11:15am, Mahbubey had wanted to place a plea to withdraw the CID from the investigation. But the court asked him to place the four progress reports first.
The CID report said 14 persons were arrested in connection with the case and four of them gave confessional statements while three witnesses gave statements. The agency is now trying to collect the statements.
Placing the progress reports, the attorney general said as per law two state investigation agencies could not probe one case simultaneously. Mentioning that the prime accused had been identified and the DB investigation was in the final stage, he petitioned for exempting the CID from the probe.
The court said none of the progress reports had mentioned that the CID was probing the incident and the DB was supposed to be happy if the CID had got additional evidence.
The bench said: “The circumstance after the seven murders need to be considered. After the incident, RAB in a press conference said no member of the agency was involved in the killings after abductions. But we saw the situation change after three former officials of RAB had been arrested at the behest of another High Court bench’s order. The CID was starting the probe. The RAB trio gave confessional statements. People’s minds have changed.”
The court asked if withdrawing the CID would seem better.
It said it did not interfere in the investigation of the DB and the agency was not asked to submit any report.
Mahbubey Alam said problems had been created because of the CID investigation. “If the CID told the High Court that its order was not issued as per law, would that look good?” he said.
Referring to media reports, the court said questions had been raised against the DB in some sensational cases and withdrawing the CID from the probe would give rise to doubts.
Supreme Court lawyer Shameem Sardar, who had drawn the court’s attention to the gruesome killings, said there was no legal bar to CID’s investigation alongside the DB’s.
Later, the court rejected the state plea.
Earlier on June 4, the bench had rejected a similar plea placed by the attorney general.