Law-&-Order
Man held with 2 firearms, ammunition in Satkhira
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained a man along with two illegal firearms and ammunition from Satkhira border early Saturday.
The arrestee was identified as Md Badruzzaman, 34, son of Dabir Uddin of village Uttar Vadiali under Kalaroa police station in Satkhira district.
Sources at the BGB headquarters here on Saturday said based on secret information, a special patrol team of BGB) conducted anti-smuggling drives at Uttarar Vadiali, 500 yards inside Bangladesh territory from Satkhira border at around 00:45 am.
Also read: Man held with drugs in Teknaf
During the drive, the patrol team recovered one foreign pistol , two rounds of bullet and one locally made pistol and detained Md Badruzzaman, said Public Relations Officer of the BGB headquarters Md Shariful Islam.
The seized arms and ammunition were handed over to the Kalaroa police station for legal action against the accused.
Also read: Ctg woman buys Yaba pills to frame hubby, held
Haji Selim released on parole for 5.5 hours to attend brother’s burial
Awami League lawmaker Haji Salim, serving jail term for graft, was paroled for a few hours to attend his elder brother Haji Kayes’s janaza and burial on Friday.
The Home Ministry granted the parole to Haji Salim for five and a half hours.
Around 4 pm Salim walked out from the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU), where he has been staying under the watch of prison authorities since May 23, said Mahabub Islam, jailer of Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj).
Read: Haji Selim ordered to surrender before trial court within 30 days
Haji Kayes, 72, died this morning at his residence in the city’s Shyamoli.
On May 22, Salim was sent to jail in this case by a Dhaka court following his surrender.
After spending a night in jail, he was admitted to BSMMU the following day.
Salim, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail in the graft case, went to Bangkok for treatment on May 2 and returned home on May 5.
Read: HC seeks explanation about birth certificate of street children
On February 10, the full text of the High Court’s order was published upholding his 10-year imprisonment.
The HC had earlier asked him to surrender before the trial court within 30 days of getting the order and also directed the trial court to cancel the bail order of the MP and issue an arrest warrant against him "if he does not surrender within the given time".
HC seeks explanation about birth certificate of street children
The High Court on Thursday issued a rule seeking explanation as to why a direction should not be given to provide birth certificate to street children .
It also wanted to know why not giving birth certificates to the street children should not be declared illegal .
The bench of Justice Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Khizir Hayat issued the rule after hearing a petition.
Women and children affairs secretary, home secretary, registrar of the Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration have been made the respondents to the rule.
Read: HC issues rule on ethics code for news media
Respondents have been asked to respond to the rule within the next four weeks.
The court also directed the respondents to submit a progress report within three months on the measures taken to provide birth certificate to the street children.
Advocate Taposh Kanti Bol and advocate George Chowdhury stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.
On May 20, the social welfare organisation ‘Sports for Hope and Independence’ filed the writ petition to give birth certificate to street children.
Saudi Riyals worth Tk 6 crore seized at Dhaka airport
Customs Intelligence authorities seized 22.99 lakh Saudi Riyals worth Tk 6 crore from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, officials said on Thursday.
Customs officials said a passenger identified as Mamun Khan was scheduled to go to Dubai by a flight of Emirates Airlines around 9:30 pm on Wednesday.
Read:Two held with 2.30 lakh USD at Dhaka airport
During scanning, the customs officials found the foreign currencies in his luggage and seized those.
However, no one was arrested as the owner of the luggage managed to flee leaving it behind.
The foreign currencies were deposited to the Custom House.
Sitakunda depot fire: Writ petition seeks Tk 2 crore compensation for each deceased’s family
A writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking its directive to the authorities concerned to pay compensation of Tk 2 crore to each deceased's family and Tk 50 lakh to each injured victim of depot fire at Sitakunda in Chattogram.
Supreme Court Lawyer Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab, Barrister Mohammad Kawsar, Barrister Mohammad Majeedul Quader and AKM Faisal Haque filed the writ petition on behalf of ‘Law and Life Foundation’ and ‘CCB Foundation’ on Wednesday.
Read: Legal action against depot fire culprits after probe, says IGP
The bench of Justice Mojibur Rahman Mia is expected to hear the writ petition on Thursday, said lawyer Humayun Kabir Pallab.
The writ petition sought the formation of an inquiry committee comprising of explosives experts, appropriate action against the culprits and necessary directives for providing the compensation.
Home Secretary, Disaster Management and Relief Secretary, Industries Secretary, Commerce Secretary, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense, Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram, Chairman and Managing Director of Smart Group, BM Container Depot were made respondents in the writ petition.
As per the writ petition, at least 50 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a fire at BM container depot in Chattogram’s Sitakunda on June 4.
The number of casualties in the fire increased due to the stockpiling of flammable chemicals by BM Container of Smart Group without disclosing it to the appropriate authorities. Many firefighters were killed and injured as the fire service did not have the necessary information on the chemicals which were stored there, it added.
Read:Container depot fire under control after 60 hours: Army
Besides, firefighters are unable to control fires caused by chemical due to lack of necessary training and modern equipment, it said.
Earlier, the Law and Life Foundation Trust and the CCB Foundation had served separate legal notices seeking compensation for the victims, said Barrister Pallab.
UP chairman sued over rape attempt in Kurigram
A case has been filed against a Union Parishad chairman as he allegedly tried to rape a woman in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram.
The accused is Ataur Rahman alias Ata, 50, chairman of Thetrai UP of the upazila.
On Monday, the woman lodged a written complaint against Ataur with the Ulipur police.
Following the complaint, a case has been filed against the UP chairman under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act , said Imtiaz Kabir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ulipur Police Station.
Read: CID detains youth who removed nuts, bolts of Padma Bridge
According to the case statement, on June 9, Chairman Ataur Rahman asked the woman to meet with him with her voter ID card.
When she went to the chairman's house with the ID card at 9 am Ataur tried to rape her as there was no other person in the house at that time.
Hearing her screams when neighbours came he fled the spot. He also threatened the woman not to disclose the matter to anyone.
However, the accused UP chairman didn’t receive the call when contacted over phone on this matter.
“We will arrest the accused,” added the officer.
Set up commission to identify plotters against Padma Bridge project, HC tells govt
The High Court on Tuesday ordered the appointment of a commission of inquiry to identify the "conspirators" who spun fake stories of corruption in the Padma Bridge Project.
A bench of justices Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo asked the government to implement the order within a month in accordance with Section 3 of the Inquiry Commission Act, 1965, while hearing a petition.
The commission should submit its report within two months of its constitution, the court said.
Also read: Youth fined for violating rules on Padma Bridge
The Cabinet Secretary, the Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary, the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Secretary, the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and Inspector General of Police (IGP) have been asked to implement the order.
In Monday’s hearing, the court said, “Those who are against such national interests and development, are the enemies of the nation, the enemies of the country, they must be identified.”
On February 15, 2017, the HC issued a rule asking the government why it should not be directed to form an inquiry committee or commission for identifying the plotters to bring them under justice referring several newspaper reports.
Also read: Padma Bridge cost to be repaid by 2057: Obaidul Quader
The Cabinet Division, Home, Law and Communications secretaries, the ACC Chairman and the Inspector General of Police were made respondents to the rule and asked to reply in four weeks.
On March 20 of the same year, the state asked for eight weeks to respond to the rule and the HC granted it time till May 7.
Hearing on rule for identifying plotters against Padma Bridge Tuesday
The High Court will hold hearing on Tuesday on a rule on whether a commission be formed to identify the people who made up fake stories of corruption over the Padma Bridge Project.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo delivered the order on Monday.
The HC also commented that the people who made up fake stories of corruption over the Padma Bridge Project should be identified.
Also read: Padma Bridge is a befitting reply to conspirators, PM tells a huge rally after its opening
The High Court said, “The Padma Bridge is our national asset. It is our pride.”
“Those who are against such national interests and development, they are the enemies of the nation, the enemies of the country, they must be identified.”
Deputy attorney general AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state in the court while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
On February 15, 2017, the HC issued a rule asking the government why it shall not be directed to form an inquiry committee or commission for identifying the plotters to bring them under justice referring several newspaper reports.
The Cabinet Division, Home, Law and Communications Secretary, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) were made respondents to the rule and asked to reply in four weeks.
Also read: CID detains youth who removed nuts, bolts of Padma Bridge
On March 20 of the same year, the state asked for eight weeks to respond to the rule and report and HC granted it till May 7.
12 SC judges contract Covid-19
Twelve judges of the Appellate Division and the High Court have been infected with Covid-19.
Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique said when court proceedings started on Monday morning.
Trial proceedings in many important benches have been suspended due to surge of Covid cases, said the Chief Justice. “If one of a double bench gets infected, the trial of that bench remains suspended.”
Read: Bangladesh gets another 4 mn doses of COVID-19 vaccine from US
“In this case, if you do not cooperate, then it becomes difficult for us. Otherwise, we will have to reintroduce virtual judicial proceedings,” he added.
Amid a steady rise in Covid infections, Bangladesh reported two more Covid-linked deaths with 1,680 new infections in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
The new figures took the country’s total death toll to 29,140 while caseload to 19,65,173, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Health Minister concerned over uptick in Covid, urges return to protocols
The daily-case positivity rate jumped to 15.66 per cent from Saturday’s 15.07 per cent as 10,778 samples were tested during the period, said the DGHS.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.48 per cent. The recovery rate declined to 97.02 per cent from Saturday’s 97.10 per cent as 169 patients recovered during this period.
CID detains youth who removed nuts, bolts of Padma Bridge
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) members detained a youth who removed nuts and bolts from the railing of Padma Bridge.
The detainee was identified as Bayezid Talha.
A team of CID conducted a drive in the city’s Shantinagar area on Sunday evening and arrested him, CID told UNB.
Jisan, additional superintendent of police (CID) said they will disclose details about the youth at a press conference on Monday at noon.
Read: Motorcycles banned on Padma Bridge from Monday
A 34-second long TikTok video went viral on social media where it was seen that the youth standing on Padma Bridge was removing nuts and bolts from its railing.
Earlier on Saturday, the much-awaited Padma Bridge was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which opened for all this morning.
However, many were seen taking photos, and making TikTok videos – stopping vehicles on the bridge, and creating tailbacks on both sides of the long-awaited bridge.