The High Court (HC) on Wednesday fined Aziz Co-operative Commerce and Finance Credit Society Limited Tk 10 lakh, for wasting the HC’s time by not operating a writ petition after filing it.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order.

Aziz Co-operative has been asked to pay the money within three months, said Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik, who stood for the state.

In 2017, Aziz Co-operative chairman Md Tajul Islam filed the writ petition seeking directives for no cases to be filed against the entity without the approval of the Cooperative Department registrar.

On May 8, 2017, HC did issue a rule to this effect, directing that no case should be filed against Aziz Co-operative, for the writ petitioner to be spared any harassment and that no  negative news on them be published without proper investigation.

The HC was scheduled to hear the writ petition on Wednesday as it was on the cause list; but the petitioner said he was not willing to operate the writ any further.

Advocate Md Tariqul Islam stood for the Aziz Co-operative, Advocate Khurshid Alam represented the Anti-Corruption Commission and advocate Ajmalul Hossain for the Bangladesh Bank.

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday issued a rule seeking an explanation as to why a policy should not be formulated for the state to provide rehabilitation facilities as well as compensation to rape victims across the country.

The bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed in the form of public interest litigation.

The rule asked why rape victim three children-(one from Dinajpur, four years old from Rangpur and another nine years old from Khulna) should not get adequate compensation.

Secretaries to the Home Ministry, the Women and Children Affairs Ministry and Health Ministry were made respondents, and asked to respond within four weeks.

Advocate Abdul Halim stood for the writ petitioner.

Children Charity Foundation filed the writ petition on January 2.

Abdul Halim said around 97 percent accused in rape cases get acquittal as the state fails to  adequately prosecute them based on evidence and testimonies.  

Children who suffer rape see their childhoods disrupted severely, while their studies also go off track. 

Rehabilitation facilities for rape victims enjoys universal approval, and when it comes to compensation, the writ mentioned the precedence of the Indian Supreme Court directing a state government to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to a destitute woman who was raped, Halim said.

Several newspaper reports over violation of children were attached with the writ petition.

The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Monday upheld the life term imprisonment of two convicts for killing Rakib Hawlader, a minor boy of Khulna city, in 2015.

A three-member Appellate Division bench led by the Chief Justice passed the order rejecting the appeal of the convicts.

Deputy Attorney general Bishwajit Debnath stood for the state.

Also read: 3 get life term for murder in Kushtia

According to the case statement, Rakib died after his former employers inserted a high-pressure air pump nozzle into his rectum at a motor workshop on August 3, 2015.

The high air-pressure tore the 12-year-old boy's intestines, rectum and bladder causing profuse internal bleeding in his stomach.

Also read: DU student rape: Lone accused Majnu gets life term

On November 8, 2015, Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court awarded death sentence to the convicts Omar Sharif and his uncle Mintu Khan for the murder.

Each of the convicts was also fined Tk 50,000.

Also read: One to die, five get life term for killing Kishoreganj farmer

On April 4, 2017, the HC commuted the death sentence of two convicts to lifetime imprisonment, after the duo appealed challenging the lower court verdict.

Later, they again filed a review appeal with the Appellate Division of Supreme Court challenging the HC order.

A Kishoreganj court on Monday sentenced six people, including two women, to life imprisonment for killing a housewife in Mogolpara village of Karimganj upazila in 2011.
  
The convicts were identified as – Lutfu alias Rukon, 30, his cousin Sharif, 22, his uncle Sohrab, 45,  his aunt Josna, 40, Muslim, 55, and his wife Nur Nahar, 35.

Also read: 3 get life term for murder in Kushtia

All of them are relatives of the victim’s husband.

Kishreganj Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdur Rahim pronounced the verdict and fined each of the convicts Tk 1 lakh or additional six months in jail in default.

Also read: DU student rape: Lone accused Majnu gets life term

According to case statement, the convicts strangulated victim Ruba to death over family feud and dumped her body in a ditch near their house on June 3, 2011.

The young housewife was killed only 15 days after her marriage.

Also read: One to die, five get life term for killing Kishoreganj farmer

Her brother filed a case at Karimganj Police Station over the matter.

The government has recently received the copy of a 61-page verdict of Bangladeshi MP Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul’s conviction in Kuwait in a case related to human trafficking, residency visa trading and money laundering.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday confirmed it after attending the opening ceremony of "WE COLORFUL FEST 2021" organised by Women & E-commerce Forum at Purbachal Club.

Also read:  No action against MP Papul until Dhaka officially receives document: FM

“We’ve received the 61-page verdict copy and it has been sent to the right place,” he said, assuring that action will be taken against Papul as per law of the land.

“We were concerned as Kuwait also takes time in processing any verdict like that of Bangladesh and directed the Ambassador there to take proper steps in this regard,” the Foreign Minister said.

Responding to a question over the legality of Papul’s Membership of Parliament, the minister said, “I’ve no comment on it. It’ll be resolved as per the regulations of Parliament.”

The government is not providing any kind of legal assistance to the convicted MP as he did not seek it either, Momen said.

Also read: MP Papul jailed for 4 years in Kuwait

The Foreign Minister pointed out that Papul did not go to Kuwait using a diplomatic passport or as an MP but he went there as a businessman.

“He has his own establishments in Kuwait and was staying there as a resident businessperson,” the Foreign Minister added.

Meanwhile, the High Court has fixed February 22 for hearing the rule issued challenging the legality of Papul’s MP post, who is now in a jail of Kuwait.

On August 16 last year, Abul Foyej Bhuiya, a candidate (independent) of the 11th Parliamentary Election, filed a writ petition challenging the legality of MP Shahid’s post as he has been accused of providing fake documents and submitting fake educational certificates, which is a violation of the Representation of the People Order 1972.

Papul was arrested in Kuwait in June last year in cases related to human trafficking, residency visa trading and money laundering. He was sent to prison there.

Also read: Graft case: HC order Papul’s wife, daughter to surrender in 10 days

Then, the Public Prosecutor of Kuwait had approached the Central Bank to freeze his bank accounts. The financial balance of the company amounts to about 5 million Kuwait dinars, including 3 million dinars as company’s capital.

A Kuwait court on January 28 sentenced the Laxmipur-2 MP to four years’ jail in a case related to the above charges

On June 9, 2020, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Bangladesh served notices to MP Papul, and his family members, seeking their wealth statements.

They were asked to submit their copies of passports, national ID cards, TINs and income tax returns within 15 days.

The ACC also sought income tax documents of Papul, his family and his sister-in-law from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on June 18.