Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan on Saturday called upon the country’s political parties to cultivate tolerance and patience towards getting on with each other despite disagreements.
“There can be political disagreements but every political party has to be tolerant of each other, otherwise a sound society cannot be built,” he said.
The chief justice came up with the remarks while addressing a workshop Role of panel lawyers in protecting human rights at the auditorium of Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) on Khamar Bari Road in the capital's Farmgate area.
Mentioning some recent incidents where human rights were severely violated, Obaidul Hassan said leaders and activists of each political party have human rights.
“Similarly police are involved in maintaining law and order situations. As excessive force on the leaders and activists of political parties violates human rights, then excessive force on the police also violates human rights,” he pointed out.
Reiterating the role of lawyers in ensuring human rights, he said that human rights panel counsels will have to play a role akin to a legal aid, while the mention of distorted names of accused in the cases is also a violation of human rights.
About the use of fetters on the court premises, the chief justice said: “Fetters can only be used for dangerous accused upon permission from the court, as set out in a verdict as some accused fled from Dhaka court a few days back for not putting fetters.”
