Law Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul said that the way Miss Earth Bangladesh 2020 winner and model Meghna Alam was detained under the Special Powers Act was not carried out properly.
"The process of arresting model Meghna Alam was not appropriate," he said.
The law adviser made the comment at a press conference at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a writ petition has been filed in the High Court challenging the legality of sending Meghna to jail based on a request from the Detective Branch (DB), citing public safety, national security, and law and order concerns.
On Sunday, Barrister Sara Hossain filed the writ on behalf of Meghna’s father in the concerned branch of the High Court.
Asif mentioned that there are specific allegations against Meghna.
In this regard, he said the police are conducting an investigation, and the Ministry of Home Affairs will soon take appropriate action.
On Wednesday night, model Meghna was detained from her residence in Bashundhara, Dhaka, by the DB of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Following an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs, a court on Thursday night ordered her detention for 30 days under the Special Powers Act. She is currently in jail.
The order stated that in order to prevent Meghna from engaging in harmful activities against public safety and law and order as defined in section 2(f) of the Special Powers Act, 1974, and in the interest of maintaining law and order, the authority, under the power conferred by section 3(1) of the same act and with proper approval, ordered her detention in jail for 30 days from the date of signing the detention order.
The incident of her detention without revealing any specific reason has sparked widespread debate and criticism.
Questions have been raised about why she was preventively detained under the controversial Special Powers Act instead of being arrested through a regular case if she had committed any crime.
The adviser said that demands have been made for her immediate and unconditional release.
Additionally, there have been calls to repeal the Special Powers Act of 1974.
Asif said: “Meghna Alam was detained by an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this. I just want to tell you one thing—we have had meetings at the highest levels of the government regarding this. We are aware of the concerns expressed by various human rights organizations and others."
He further said: "What I can say is that the police are investigating the matter, and there are specific allegations against Meghna Alam. However, the process by which she was arrested—under the Special Powers Act—was not correct.”
The law adviser further said that if Meghna has committed any crime, the Ministry of Home Affairs will take appropriate measures based on that.
He acknowledged that the arrest procedure was flawed.
“But admitting the process was not correct does not mean there is no evidence or allegation against her. There are some allegations, and based on those, necessary steps will be taken very soon by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” he added.
When asked about reports linking Meghna Alam with the immediate past Saudi ambassador, the law adviser said: “We have not discussed that matter.”
