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LAW week
Formation of Gram Sarker delays
Formation work of Gram Sarkar will begin on August 2 instead of July 1. The formation of Gram Sarkar was earlier scheduled to be completed within 45 days from July 1. Some 40,392 Gram Sarkar (village government) units will be formed across the country. One Gram Sarkar will be constituted in each of 40,392 wards under 4,488 Union Parishads (UPs). As per the Gram Sarkar Act, the body will have a five-year tenure. Each ward of a Union Parishad will be a unit of Gram Sarkar. Gram Sarkar will be an auxiliary of Union Parishad and elected UP members will be chiefs of Gram Sarkar. One female elected UP member will be advisor to three Gram Sarkar units. The 13-member body will have Gram Sarkar Prodhan (chief), three women representatives (one must be a member of the trained Village Defence Party), two farmers, one male VDP member, one worker representative, two farm worker representatives, one freedom fighter, one teacher and one businessman. Gram Sarkar will assist the Union Parishad by implementing various development and social projects. Besides, it will ensure primary health care, gathering birth, death, marriage and divorce-related information and assist the Union Parishad in tree plantation, preservation of environment and cleanliness, formation of cooperatives and augmenting pisciculture, poultry farming and so on. It will also assist the Union Parishad to maintain law and order and supervise VGF and VGD activities. The Union Parishad will provide a part of its income to Gram Sarkar to carry out its activities.-Ittefaq, 27 June.
Court orders for withdrawal of explosion case
The District and Sessions Judge's Court of Rajshahi has ordered withdrawal of the sensational bomb explosion case at Jamaat-e-Islami leader Dr Mozammel Haque's house following a home ministry notification. Judge Abu Bakar Siddique passed the order after government lawyer Advocate Mortuza Reza sought withdrawal of the case in a petition. It also asked the deputy commissioner of Rajshahi and public prosecutor (PP) of the Sessions Judge's Court to arrange withdrawal of the case. The PP in his petition informed the court about the government decision and said it would not be viable for the State to run the case. On April 17 in 2001, a powerful bomb exploded at local Jamaat leader Dr Mozammel Haque's house in Darusha village of Paba upazila killing two injuring three others. The then Officer-in-Charge of the Paba Police Station Abul Kalam Biswas filed a case accusing 17 persons. Later, the Detective Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Rajshahi Police submitted charge sheet for the case on December 21, 2002. In the charge sheet, the CID accused nine persons under the Explosive Act 1908.-Daily Star, 25 June.
Advocacy for consumer protection law
Speakers at a discussion demanded enactment of laws to protect the rights of consumers. They also suggested forming an independent body to control prices as the price hike does not synchronise with additional taxes or duties proposed in the budget. The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) organised the discussion on 'This year's budget and the rights of customer-consumer'. The speakers said that prices of essentials go up every year before the budget is passed in parliament. .-Daily Star, 25 June.
10.45 lakh cases awaits disposal
A total of 10,45,895 cases are pending in the courts of the country till April 2003. Among these 3,79,893 are civil and the rest 6,43,697 are criminal cases. In the same period 22,305 writ cases are also pending in the High Court. The pending cases in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court was 1,56,681 including 60,516 civil suits and 73,860 criminal cases. This was revealed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed in the Jatiya Sangsad while he was replying to a question in this regard. The minister informed the parliament that the High Court Division disposed of 27,338 cases in 2002. The resolved cases included 64,00 civil, 13,192 criminal and 7,292 writ petitions.-Ittefaq.
New anti-crime drive starts soon
The government is planing to launch a countrywide anti-crime drive by police, BDR and Ansar to contain the return of criminality. This was said by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Explaining the move, the Prime Minister said many criminals had been arrested and many of them fled during the first army-led joint operation against crime launched in August 2002. That drive had restored peace and security. But as criminals have again raised their ugly face, government will renew a drive against them.- Prothom Alo, 29 June
3 to die for killing Sony
The Speedy Trial Tribunal-1, Dhaka Division has sentenced three persons to death and five to life imprisonment for killing Sabequn Nahar Sony, a student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). The convicts with death penalty are Mokammel Hayat Khan Muki, Mushfiq Uddin Tagor and Nurul Islam Sagar. Seven others of the 15 accused -- Sheikh Solaiman alias Babul, Sirajul Islam alias Wasim, Zakir Hossain Patwari alias Munna, Rafiq alias Rafiq Chacha, Sujan, Aiyub and Mohiuddin -- have been cleared of charges. Sony, 22, a second year student of level-2, term-2 of chemical engineering, was killed in crossfire between two factions of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student front of the ruling BNP. BUET Security Officer Golam Kuddus Khan filed a murder case with the Lalbagh Police Station. Detectives submitted a chargesheet against 15 people on January 4. The speedy trial tribunal framed charges against the main accused Muki and others on January 26. The court, beginning the trial on January 30, cross-examined 23 prosecution witnesses. -Prothom Alo, 30 June
New justice in Appellate Division
Justice Hamidul Haque has been appointed as judge in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. President Professor Iajuddin Ahmed made the appointment. Justice Hamidul Haque was the most senior judge among the High Court's judges. The appointment has been effected after his taking oath of office. -Prothom Alo, 29 June.
Verdict on Bushra murder case
The Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3, Dhaka has sentenced three persons to death and one to life imprisonment in its verdict on the killing of Rushdania Islam Bushra, a college student.
The convicts with death sentence are M Abdul Kader, former relief and social welfare secretary of the Awami League city unit, Sheikh Shawkat Ahmed Ruhul and Sheikh Kabir Ahmed. The court has also fined the death penalty convicts Tk 1 lakh each. The court handed down life imprisonment to Runu Kader, wife of death-penalty convict Kader, who will have to serve two years more in failure to pay Tk 1 lakh in fines. Two others of the six accused were cleared of the charges. The judge completed the hearing on June 17 in the absence of two of the accused, with 17 of the 34 witnesses examined. The verdict was delivered after 49 workdays of the trial that began on August 4 last year. Bushra, daughter of a retired assistant superintendent of police late Serajul Islam , was killed over a land grab move by the convicts.
Bushra's mother Laila Islam filed the case with the Khilgaon Police Station without accusing anybody, a day after the killing, and filed a supplementary first information report accusing the six people in September 2000. -Law Desk.
5 additional judges of HC confirmed
Five additional judges of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court has been confirmed as permanent judges. President Iajuddin Ahmed confirmed them under Article 95 (1) of the constitution. The newly appointed judges are Sheikh Rezwan Ali, Mohammad Anwarul Huq, Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Syed Mohammad Dastagir Hossain and Mirza Hossain Haider. Sheikh Rezwan Ali and Anwarul Huq come from the judicial service while others from the legal profession. Meanwhile four additional judges has not been confirmed. Those Khandoker Musa Khaled, AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury, M Nizamul Huq and Bazlur Rahman. - Law Desk.