Law
week
Hasina not produced before court
The special court dealing with the Tk 3 crore graft case against Sheikh Hasina and other accused yesterday deferred again the hearing on framing charge until February 19 as Hasina was not produced before the court because of illness. Hasina's counsel filed a petition yesterday, seeking bail. The prosecution and the defence completed their arguments on the petition and the court decided to deliver its order on the next day of hearing. Firoz Alam, judge of the special court-1 set up in the MP Hostel on the National Parliament Complex, adjourned the proceedings until 2:30pm of February 19.
The court sat at 10:30am after the jail authority informed the court that the physical condition of the former primer minister and Awami League president was not good and her blood pressure was fluctuating, so she cannot attend the court.-The Daily Star, February 14, 2008.
'Protect culture of CHT ethnic people'
Speakers in a workshop yesterday made 17-point suggestions to the government to protect culture and heritages of 11 ethnic communities in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
They suggested establishment of a tribal cultural institute, appointment of indigenous language teacher in every primary school in CHT and broadcasting programmes on indigenous culture and heritage. Their suggestions also include one more chapter based on indigenous culture in text books at primary and junior levels, introducing teachers' training on indigenous languages at Rangamati PTI, and setting up a museum to protect culture and heritages of 11 ethnic communities in CHT. They emphasised primary education in students' mother languages. The suggestions came from a month-long research on the lifestyle including food habits, sports, marriage system, cultivation, dresses, traditional function and residence of three indigenous communities -- Chakma, Marma and Tripura. Local NGOs Rurua Lummiya Thethong, Khagrapur Mohila Kalyan Samity, Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha and Zabarang Kalyan Samity helped to conduct the research. -The Daily Star, February 14, 2008.
Chittagong cops confess to robbery
An assistant commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) and his two subordinates, who are on a two-day police remand for robbery, confessed to the crime yesterday. Assistant Commissioner Abu Saleh Mohammad Mofazzal Haque of CMP Panchlaish Zone, his bodyguard constable Ehsanul Islam and driver constable Abdur Rauf were arrested on Monday on charge of robbery at a businessman's house in the city's Amirbar area early Sunday. Sources said a five-member team headed by Deputy Police Commissioner (headquarters) Manzur Morshed Khan interrogated the accused at Kotwali Police Station Monday night. Mofazzal admitted during the grilling that two sources gave him information about robbing businessman Faruq Ahmed Chowdhury's residence.
He said his driver also spied on the house twice early in the day. The interrogation team will further quiz the disgraced cops before the two-day remand expires this afternoon, sources said. CMP Commissioner M Akbar Ali said there was not much to interrogate since the accused have already confessed everything, adding that their confessional statements were enough to earn them exemplary punishment. -The Daily Star, February 13, 2008.
Barring war criminals from polls may remain key issue
Demands for barring war criminals from contesting in elections and for disqualifying anti-liberation forces including Jamaat-e-Islami from getting registered as parliamentarian parties with the Election Commission (EC) are likely to feature dominantly in the upcoming second round of electoral reform talks between the commission and political parties. In the wake of recent boost in the demands' popularity, the EC is now considering inclusion of a permanent ban on war criminals from contesting in parliamentary elections in the proposed electoral law, sources in the EC said.
The commission already included provisions in the proposed law for local government polls disqualifying war criminals from contesting in elections to city corporations and municipalities. Similar provisions will also be incorporated in laws for elections to union and upazila parishads, the sources added. "A person will be permanently disqualified from contesting in parliamentary elections if he or she is convicted by a national or international tribunal of war crimes," an EC source said referring to the commission's latest plan for electoral laws. But the EC is still searching for ways to deal with another very popular demand for disqualifying anti-liberation forces from getting registered with the commission as parliamentarian parties, as the demand is most likely to be raised again by political parties during the second round of talks set to begin next week, the sources said. The EC however might insert a condition in the proposed rules for registering parliamentarian parties, saying any party with any war criminal in any of its posts will be disqualified from being registered with the commission, hinted an EC source. -The Daily Star, February 12, 2008.
Charges framed against Huda, Sigma
A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against detained former communications minister barrister Nazmul Huda and his wife advocate Sigma Huda in an extortion case filed by a former BNP lawmaker in July last year. Huda and Sigma, who were present in the court yesterday, pleaded not guilty and demanded fair justice before the court after Judge Mohammad Shafiul Azam of the Special Tribunal-12 read out the charges to them.
Former BNP lawmaker GM Siraj filed the extortion case against Huda and his wife with Dhanmondi police on July 27 last year. According to the case statement, the complainant GM Siraj, owner of Cab Express Ltd, said that BNP leader Nazmul Huda and his wife demanded two Maruti cars from him for the use of the weekly Khaborer Antorale in February 2003. -The Daily Star, February 11, 2008.
Corresponding with the Law Desk
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