The High Court has questioned the role of Bangladesh Jail authorities in a case where a person was shown arrested with several false warrants.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mustafizur Rahman expressed disappointment on Tuesday during the hearing on a writ filed by Shahnaj Parvin, wife of victim Md Awlad Hossain, a program officer at Gonoshasthaya Kendra, who was put in jail with a false arrest warrant and shown arrested in several false arrest warrants later.
The court also fixed October 7, for the next hearing in this regard.
Advocate Emadul Hoque Bosir stood in favour of the writ.
Zero crime, unlimited suffering
According to the lawyer, Awlad was first arrested from Ashulia by police on October 30 last year. His bail prayer was made when he was produced before a Dhaka court on that day.
The court ordered his documents to be sent to Cox’s Bazar court. When the documents reached Cox’s Bazar, Awlad’s bail application was made.
In this context, the Cox’s Bazar court said there was no accused called Awlad in that case and the arrest warrant was not issued from that court and it ordered his release.
When the release order reached Dhaka Central Jail, the jail authorities said there was a case filed against the accused at Rajshahi and he will be sent there.
When a bail prayer was made at the Rajshahi court, the court said there was no accused called Awlad in that case and it did not issue the arrest warrant in his name.
When it was told to release him, the jail authorities said that there was a case filed in his name at Bagerhat. Consequently, Awlad Hossain was sent there, the lawyer added.
Later on December 10 last year, Awlad's wife filed a writ with the High Court and appealed to issue a rule to ask the government why it was not illegal to detain Awlad with a false arrest warrant.
The same bench on that day issued the rule and ordered the jail authorities to verify the arrest warrant and release Awlad; it also ordered that if again any arrest warrant comes against him that has to be verified whether it is false or true.
The court also ordered Awald to appear before the court on January 15 this year.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police was also ordered to submit a report within 30 days after conducting an investigation over the matter.
On January 6, Awlad was released from Dhaka Central Jail and later appeared before the High Court on the date scheduled by the court.
Team of 10 hired to make the false warrants
On March 9 this year, CID submitted a report before the court where it said they arrested four people in connection with the false arrest warrants, where three of them gave confessional statements.
In their confessional statement, they said a group of 10 people were involved in issuing the fake arrest warrants. They also said Awlad had a dispute about a land with a man named Danesh Dhai and he hired the group to issue the fake arrest warrants.
The group issued the false warrants by forging seals of different courts including Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Bagerhat, Sherpur, and Dhaka and mentioning charges of different offences including repression of women and children and human trafficking.
Advocate Enamul, while speaking with Dhaka Tribune, said: “We have submitted two supplementary petitions to make the party of 10 responsible persons (as per confessional statement) and sought TK50 lakh in compensation for Awlad as he had to stay in jail for 68 days without committing any crime.”
