The High Court has pulled up the government over one Md Arman, who has been allegedly languishing in jail for over three years on narcotics charges due to a case of mistaken identity.
The court issued a rule on Tuesday asking the government why it should not be ordered to release Arman.
It also ordered the Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge to produce within seven days the documents of the case in which Arman was arrested.
The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam issued the rule and order after hearing a petition filed by rights body Law and Life Foundation seeking necessary order.
Authorities concerned of the government, including home secretary, inspector general of police, superintendent of Dhaka police, have been ordered to respond within 10 days.
Police, in an anti-narcotics drive, detained drug-dealer Sahabuddin Bihari, along with his two aides—Sohel Mollah and Mamun alice Sagor—with 40 yaba pills at a house in Pallabi area of the capital on August 30, 2005.
Later a case was filed in this regard with the Pallabi police station. Police submitted a charge sheet against the three persons on September 18 of the same year.
While the case was at trial, Sahabuddin secured bail after two years of imprisonment on March 5, 2007. He surrendered to the court on January 17, 2011 and again got bail. However, he has been on the run since then.
On October 1, 2012, court sentenced Sahabuddin and his two assistants to 10 years imprisonment with Tk5,000 fine for each.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for fugitive Sahabuddin.
Following the arrest warrant, on January 27, 2016, police arrested Arman wrongly, because of the situation of the father's name, and produced him before the court on January 29. The court then sent Arman to Kasimpur jail where he is prisoner number 3848.
