'Why magistrate won't be stripped of authority?'
HC on bail refusal to infant
Staff Correspondent
The High Court (HC) yesterday ordered a metropolitan magistrate of Chittagong to appear before the court on April 23, and explain why he would not be stripped of his authority as a magistrate for refusing a six-month-old baby and his mother bail in a robbery case.The HC division bench comprising Justices AK Badrul Huq and M Fazlur Rahman also asked former investigation officer (IO) of the case Sub-Inspector Zahidur Rahman Zahid to appear before the court in person the same day. Besides, the court expressed resentment at Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Firoj Shah's submitting vokalatnama for Samiruddin, complainant of the robbery case. The court said that an AAG cannot appear in favour of the complainant in a criminal case. It then asked Attorney General Hassan Ariff to look into the matter. On March 1, Barrister Rabeya Bhuiyan, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun and Advocate Sheikh Akhterul Islam drew attention of the court to news reports that said four babies had to appear before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Chittagong for bail in the robbery case filed by a next-door neighbour. Alhaj Samiruddin had filed the case against Chittaranjan Nath and 10 members of his family including a dead man and four minor children on February 4, allegedly following a dispute over land. The High Court on March 1 issued a suo moto rule on eight government and police officials and the plaintiff.
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