Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that police will submit a chargesheet soon in the murder case of child Ramisa, after an accused was arrested within 24 hours of the incident.
Speaking at the Secretariat on Thursday, he said the main accused in the case is possibly Sohel Khan, who has been arrested along with his wife.
He said: “They gave a statement under Section 164. We can assure you that our side will complete a proper investigation and submit the chargesheet within a short time.”
Salahuddin Ahmed said people often discuss justice in the context of delays in trials, but that is not always the case.
He said some trials are delayed, which creates the impression that justice may not be delivered.
He added that such crimes had also taken place during the interim government’s tenure, and legal and judicial action was taken within a short time in those cases.
He said he could only assure that an exemplary trial would be completed as quickly as possible, but he could not say what the punishment would be.
He said: “We are not in the Middle Ages now. We are in the modern era, and law reform is an ongoing process. Laws must be updated and made timely according to society’s needs. Those are continuing processes. We will certainly need to make some amendments in different laws. We will look into that.”
He also said it is important to consider whether very quick trials can sometimes lead to injustice, or whether the strictest laws may later be misused.
Salahuddin Ahmed said it is not right to create a law or establish a court in haste every time an incident occurs.
He said: “We have to look at this on a broader canvas. For example, an incident took place in Magura. There was an uproar over it, and perhaps some legal amendments were brought in and the trial was completed within a short time. That was a demand of the time. But what will happen in the long term, and what will not, must also be considered.”
He further said that in cases of child rape, a court was established and a tribunal was formed, but it later became possible to give the same jurisdiction to women’s and children’s courts without increasing the number of courts.
He said this was because of issues related to revenue expenditure, court setup and manpower. He said it would otherwise be seen that courts were set up in 64 districts even though some districts might have two cases, some 10, and some none.
He said arrangements should be made in a way that ensures both public safety and justice. But he added that it was not right to quickly enact laws or create courts in all matters just to ease public anger for a short time.
He said the home ministry has responsibilities in reducing crime and carries out proactive work in that regard.
He said: “For example, anti-drug drives are continuing, and drives against extortion and terrorism are also under way. These are largely proactive measures so that crimes decrease. But in crimes like rape and murder, I can talk about the police’s activities after the incident has occurred. Since we took charge, in every heinous crime of this kind, can any of you say that the police did not make the maximum effort and could not arrest the accused within a short time? There is not a single one. I have all the lists. If there is any deviation, you can raise the question.”
