Law
week
Cops point at AL men
Law and order has deteriorated largely because of widespread tender manipulation and violence by ruling party activists, senior police officials have alleged. They made the allegation at a quarterly crime conference at the police headquarters in the capital, said sources. The police high-ups said chain of command in the law enforcement agency is at stake as many junior officers tend to defy seniors cashing in on their ties with ruling party leaders and lawmakers. They expressed frustration over frequent political intervention, which is hampering discipline and the sense of pride in the police force. - The Daily Star, May 6, 2010.
Appointments shrouded in questions
No disciplined methods were followed to form the bodies to try the war criminals that led to an unexpected reshuffle in the prosecution panel and resignation of chief investigator Abdul Matin within four and 40 days respectively. Prior to formation of the investigation agency and prosecution panel on March 25, a number of influential ministers and policymakers apparently engaged in a competition to include their proposed names. Inclusion of ruling Awami League lawmakers Nurul Islam Sujan and Sanjida Khanam in the announced 12-member prosecution panel first drew flak and the government later dropped their names. The changes came against the backdrop of huge criticism as every section was asking about the method or criteria the government relied on before choosing people for such crucial bodies. - The Daily Star, May 6, 2010.
Get cops to stop river pollution
The High Court wants the government to police the banks of the Buriganga to stop disposal of waste into the river. It directed the authorities to deploy police along the riverbanks immediately. It also ordered them to form a committee to monitor the law enforcers' actions with regard to waste-dumping and submit a report within four weeks. Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), director general of the Department of Environment (DoE) and deputy commissioner of Dhaka were asked to form the monitoring committee, drawing representatives from the district administration, BIWTA and DoE. In a rule, the court also asked the government to explain within four weeks why it should not be directed to seal all sewers emptying into the Buriganga to stop water pollution. - The Daily Star, May 5, 2010.
Go tough on stalkers
Apart from social and political resistance to stalking and sexual harassment, stringent penalties to culprits was voiced at a view-exchange meeting. Attended by senior journalists and cultural activists, the meeting was organised at the secretariat by the Ministry of Education to share views on dealing the rising incidents of stalking. The meeting urged the media, especially electronic, to become more cautious about their programmes, advertisements and cinemas that may encourage stalking. It also suggested projection of more morally motivating programmes in the television, appointment of counsellors in educational institutions, introduction of help line for victims, eviction of shops adjacent to schools and colleges and increasing of co-educational institutions in the country. - The Daily Star, May 5, 2010.
No legal bar to free rivers
A Supreme Court (SC) order cleared the way for removing all structures, excluding the government ones set up to serve the public interests, from the rivers around the capital. The rivers are Shitalakkhya, Balu, Turag and Buriganga. Even the jetties and other structures established by some private commercial companies within the rivers' boundaries upon the government permission have to be removed as per the apex court's order. The Appellate Division passed the order after dismissing seven appeals filed by seven commercial companies challenging a High Court (HC) order that directed the government to remove the structures. - The Daily Star, May 4, 2010.
It's now time for 'pro-AL' private universities
A parliamentary sub-committee considers recommending relaxation of some clauses of the Private University Bill 2010 to encourage pro-liberation war entrepreneurs to set up private universities. The sub-committee of the parliamentary standing committee on education ministry thinks that most private universities are owned by people loyal to the BNP-Jamaat coalition. Many private universities easily got permission to run their activities. Now pro-liberation people should be given the chance to set up universities to strike a balance. Pro-liberation war forces are in power now and they want like-minded people to set up private universities, Mirza Azam, convener of the sub-committee, told The Daily Star after a meeting. - The Daily Star, May 4, 2010.
Anti-graft body to lose teeth
The cabinet's approval to amend the anti-corruption law would make the anti-graft body ineffective and further spread out corruption in administration and other public services, observes Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). "The Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC] will return to the previous position of defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption with majority cases clogged, if the proposals to amend its laws are incorporated into the ACC Act," said TIB Trustee Board Chairman M Hafizuddin Khan. The amendment proposals include ACC's obligation to take permission from the government prior to initiating a case against any government official and making the anti-graft body accountable to the president. The TIB sees possibility of political influence in this system and suggests that the ACC be made accountable to a special parliamentary committee. - The Daily Star, May 3, 2010.
3 more ship breaking yards sued in Ctg
The Department of Environment (DoE) sued three more ship-breaking yards for polluting environment and not responding to its notices of clearance. With this, seven ship-breaking yards have been sued within two weeks. The DoE investigator Saiful Ashrab filed the cases with Sitakunda Police Station and the Environment Court. The yards are Rahman Ship Yard and Mahin Enterprise (Ship-yard) at Modhyam Sonaichhari and Ambia Ship-breakers Private Limited at Madam Bibirhat in Sitakunda upazila. The DoE investigator in the cases alleged that the authorities of the ship-breaking yards didn't respond to the repeated DoE notices that asked them to collect environmental clearance after ensuring protective measures against pollution. -
The Daily Star, May 3, 2010.
Corresponding with the Law Desk
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