The rights group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking its directives upon the government on taking legal action against out-of-court arbitrations centering on rape incidents.
Advocate Shahinuzzaman Shahin filed the writ on behalf of the organization with the High Court bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim on Monday.
The writ seeks the court's directives on government offices, asking them to inform the court on the number of rape cases filed in the last 10 years with all police stations across the country, and also the number of such cases that have been sent to court for trial.
The secretaries of the ministries of law, home, social welfare, and woman and children affairs, the inspector general of police (IGP), and the registrar general of the Supreme Court have been made respondents in the writ.
The writ also seeks the High Court’s directives on relevant government offices on the implementation of various High Court directives to prevent rape, including completion of trials of rape cases within 180 days as per existing law.
According to Sub-section 6 of Section 20 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, the tribunal can conduct trial proceedings in a closed-door room (trial in camera), in consideration of any application or if the tribunal deems it appropriate.
Shahinuzzaman Shahin said that the writ also seeks the court’s directives on judges concerned regarding appropriate practice of Sub-section 6 of Section 20 of the law.
Earlier on October 13, Supreme Court lawyer Yadia Zaman issued a legal notice to the relevant government offices in this regard.
