SC
SC forms 5-member committee to prevent sexual harassment
The Supreme Court has formed a five-member committee to receive complaints of sexual harassment, investigate those and make necessary recommendations.
Justice Krishna Debnath, a High Court judge, has been made the chairman of the committee.
Other members of the committee are- High Court division judge Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque, Md Badrul Alam Bhuiyan, Registrar of the Appellate Division, Advocate Fawzia Karim and Assistant Attorney General Advocate Tamanna Ferdous.
Read: ASK seeks implementation of HC guideline on preventing sexual harassment
The committee has been formed following a High Court order issued in 2009, said a statement issued by Md Ali Akbar, Registrar of the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
On August 7, 2008, a writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking its directive to prevent sexual harassment of women and children at workplaces and educational institutions.
Following the writ petition, the HC on May 14, 2009, issued an order to form a committee to prevent sexual harassment of women, girls and children in all institutions, including educational institutions, government and non-government organizations and media houses in the country.
SC directs to deduct custody time from total jail term given to convicts
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the time a prisoner spends in custody since arrest to judgment will be deducted from the period of imprisonment to which a convict is sentenced.
The Ministry of Home Affairs was directed to make necessary arrangements in this regard.
A bench of five justices led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order during a virtual hearing on the appeal challenging the High Court’s order of imprisonment for life to a convict named Younus Ali.
The court has ordered to send the order document to the home and law ministries and also directed to release Younus Ali after he served his jail term.
Also read: HC turns down writ seeking enactment of law for EC formation
Lawyer Golam Abbas Chowdhury Dulal appeared for Younus Ali while Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Debnath stood for the state.
Lawyer Golam Abbas Chowdhury Dulal said his client has already spent 26 years behind the bars though according to the order of appellate division and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) he should have been released by now.
Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Debnath said Younus Ali was given life sentence in a case from the lower court which was later upheld by the High Court.
According to section 35 A (1) of CrPC the time a convict passed in custody during the trial period of a case will be deducted from the sentence of imprisonment which was not mentioned in the sentence passed on the case of Younus Ali, said the deputy attorney general.
Earlier, in the case of Ataur Rahman Mridha versus the state, the appellate division said life imprisonment means rigorous imprisonment for 30 years and a convict will get 7.5 years’ remission facility according to law.
Also read: HC orders judicial probe into attacks on Hindus in 6 districts
In 2017, in a notification issued by the High Court it was said that if multiple criminal cases are under trial against an accused, the time he/she spent in jail custody will be deducted from the total sentence of imprisonment in each case verdict.
Though in most cases the direction is not implemented, said the DAG.
SC directs lower court judges to give decisions publicly
The Supreme Court has asked the lower court judges to pass their verdicts and orders in public in order to ensure transparency and accountability.
The SC directive came in a notification signed by the Registrar Md Golam Rabbani of the High Court Division under the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Read: SC directive issued for court officials, employees during Eid holidays
In order to ensure transparency and accountability, the lower courts have been directed to announce important interim judgments and orders, including bail, in public court in presence of the lawyers and parties concerned, said the notification.
All the judges of the lower court were instructed to follow the directive mentioned in the notification as per the court’s decision.
SC upholds death sentence in Dr. Nazneen murder
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death sentence to a man in a case filed over the killing of Dr Nazneen Akther of Labaid Specialised Hospital and her domestic help in 2005.
The six-member virtual bench of the Appellate Division led by chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after rejecting a petition.
Advocate ABM Bayezid stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Debnath represented the state.
Also read: Murder of wife: Bangladesh’s top court commutes sentence of husband
According to the prosecution, Aminul, then a college student and also a nephew of Dr Nazneen’s husband Asaruzzaman, stabbed the doctor to death over a dispute on March 7, 2005.
He also killed her domestic help Parul, who witnessed the murder.
Later, Aminul went into hiding. A case was filed with Dhanmondi police station.
Police arrested Aminul from Faridpur district.
Also read: SC commutes death sentence of a father over killing his minor son
In 2008, a Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced Aminul to death in the double murder case.
In 2013, The High Court also upheld the death penalty.
Aminul filed an appeal petition against the HC order which was also rejected by the Supreme Court.
SC dismisses HC order related to hiring of 2,500 teachers
The Supreme Court on Monday said the Non-government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) does not have to recommend the hiring of 2,500 petitioners as teachers in private educational institutions.
A six-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain struck down a High Court order to the NTRC to recommend recruitment of the teachers. At the same time the bench rejected the contempt of court rule against NTRCA.
Also read: HC revokes stay order on recruitment process of 54,000 teachers to private institutions
Senior Advocate Barrister Fida Kamal and Advocate Mohammad Kamruzzaman stood for NTRCA while Advocate Khurshid Alam represented the petitioners.
On May 31, the High Court asked the NTRCA to recommend appointment of 2500 writ petitioners in MPO-listed private educational institutions by four weeks.
On June 13, the NTRCA authorities filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking a stay order against the HC order.
On June 22, the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division sent the petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division.
Also read: Appoint 17 NTRCA registered teachers within 3 months: HC
In 2017, the High Court had directed the government to prepare a merit list of the candidates who have passed the registration test for appointment as teachers to private schools and colleges, after hearing petitions over it.
In 2019, the petitioners filed contempt of court petitions as the authorities concerned have not complied with the directives.
Later, the HC issued contempt of court rule against NTRCA.
On March 30 this year, the NTRCA issued a circular appointing around 54,000 teachers to private schools
On May 6, the HC stayed the process for appointing around 54,000 teachers to private schools, colleges and madrasas across the country and also ordered NTRCA to recommend in seven days to the authorities concerned of the private educational institutions to appoint the qualified candidates.
SC extends all HC bail orders for next 2 weeks
The Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday extended tenure of bails and other interim orders passed by the High Court (HC) for the next two weeks due the surge of Covid-19 cases across the country.
A notification signed by the High Court Division registrar Md Golam Rabbani of SC confirmed the matter.
The High Court orders that had granted bail to accused for specific periods or granted interim bail to accused on condition of their surrender to lower courts have been extended for the next two weeks, the notification said.
And other HC interim orders that were passed for specific periods have also been extended two more weeks, it added.
Earlier on April 4, the HC registrar's office had issued a similar notification which is scheduled to expire soon.
Appellate Division to operate virtually 3 days weekly from Apr 12
The Appellate Division of Supreme Court (SC) will operate virtually for three days weekly from April 12, to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus.
Directed by the Chief Justice Appellate Division registrar Md Badrul Alam Bhuiya issued a circular on Sunday in this regard.
Also read: Worsening Covid crisis: Bangladesh resorting to full lockdown
The directive will remain in action until further notice.
The Appellate Division will operate on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 am to 12 pm on limited scale.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh records highest single-day deaths
Appellate Division remained closed from April 5 during the nationwide lockdown.
Only virtual Chamber Bench operated on Tuesday and Thursday from 11 am during the lockdown.
Also read: Virtual court a new chapter in law: Anisul
SC defers Destiny MD’s bail petitions hearing
The Supreme Court on Sunday deferred the hearing of two bail petitions filed by Destiny Group Managing Director Md Rafiqul Amin in two money laundering cases till Thursday.
Sedition Case against CU teacher Anwar Hossain: SC upholds bail
The Appellate Division on Sunday upheld a High Court order granting bail to Chittagong University teacher Anwar Hossain in a sedition case.
SC stays order on providing compensation to United Hospital fire victims
The Appellate Division on Tuesday stayed a High Court order that had directed to pay Tk 30 lakh to each of the families of four out of five victims who were killed in a fire at the United Hospital on May 27.