& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

LAW week
Judicial service commission drafted
The government has finalised a draft of the body for recruiting judges for lower courts. The draft will be submitted to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a couple of days and President will promulgate rules to form the commission after her approval. Seven members -- an Appellate Division judge, a Public Service Commission member, the law, establishment and finance secretaries, registrar of the Supreme Court and Dhaka district and session's judge -- will sit on the committee. The government is forming this body in line with the 12 point directive issued by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to separate the judiciary from the executive. -Law Desk.
Amendment to Copyright Act okayed
The cabinet has approved amendment to the Copyright Act 2000. The amendment is aiming to preserve national interest in international trade in the perspective of globalisation as well as attract adequate foreign investment in the country. The approval was given at the weekly cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the chair at her office. The Cabinet also approved the draft of the State Acquisition and Tenancy (Amendment) Act 2004 providing for the formation of special tribunal to settle land record and survey-related cases. -Observer, 20 January.
Backlog of cases in PDB courts
The 16-year-old litigation system of the Power Development Board (PDB), is bogged down with over 60,000 pending cases. Sixteen PDB courts, formed exclusively to deal with cases over outstanding bills filed under the Electricity Act, 1910, have been falling far short of their target and purpose. Under this law, a person found guilty can be sentenced to imprisonment or fined or both. These PDB courts can clear 14,000 cases a year at most, but every year there are about 4,000 to 5,000 more cases that they are unable to resolve. As a result, there were 43,000 cases pending with the PDB courts in 1999-2000. Most of the pending cases are shelved in Chittagong North and South courts of the PDB. -Daily Star, 20 January.
Detention of 13 Indians challenged
The High Court Division of the Supreme Court has issued a rule upon the government to show cause why the detention of 13 Indian nationals should not be declared unlawful. The rule has been made returnable within two weeks. The Indian citizens had already served out their term in prison. ful. The also asked the government to explain why other similarly incarcerated persons should not be released forthwith. The order came upon a public interest litigation writ filed by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (Blast) challenging the "unlawful detention" in prison of the Indian nationals after the expiry of their sentence awarded by Rajshahi District and Sessions Judge's Court two and a half years ago. - Law Desk.
Watchdog to curb cop corruption
Government is considering setting up an intelligence force to check crimes in the police force. Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury informed the Jatiya Sangsad. But the minister did not specify how soon the new force would be set up. Replying to a separate query, Altaf said the government has allowed hawkers to sit and run their business on several city footpaths. He said policemen are assigned to patrol and ensure that people are not robbed in those busy roadside makeshift markets. Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmaker Monjur Kader raised the question about hawkers occupying some important city pavements at Motijheel, Gulistan and Baitul Mukarram areas and expressed concern at frequent incidents of pickpocket there. -Daily Star, 22 January.
AD cancels bail of Khwaja Habib
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has stayed the High Court order granting bail to two Khwaja Habibullah Habib, a ward commissioner of Dhaka City Corporation. Khwaja Habib, sentenced to 27-year imprisonment in an arms case, was granted bail two months ago after 17 weeks of the conviction. The Appellate Division asked the convict to surrender before the lower court in two weeks. The order came upon petition filed by the government, seeking stay of the High Court orders granting him bail. The Appellate Division also asked the government to come up with regular leave petition for hearing of the cases. Additional Attorney General Abdur Rezzak Khan appeared for the state. -Ittefaq, 21 January.
5,585 Bangladeshis languishing in foreign jails
A total of 5,585 Bangladeshis are languishing in the prisons of 38 countries all over the world. At the same time, 713 foreigners are stuck in Bangladeshi jails even after completing their various terms, unable to leave due to monetary constraints or for the lack of proper documentation. A total of 239 foreigners have been released on bail in the last year. Of them, two have been sent back to neighbouring countries, 27 are with their guarantors and eight are absconding. The deputy commissioners concerned do not know the whereabouts of the other 202. Of the 5,585 Bangladeshi prisoners abroad, 1,584 are in Indian jails. This was revealed during a meeting of the cabinet committee on jail reforms. The cabinet committee asked the foreign ministry to direct the Bangladesh missions concerned to arrange legal aid for the Bangladeshis languishing in foreign prisons through legal aid organisations working in the respective countries. The committee also decided to visit Dhaka Central Jail next month. The meeting was told that 141 under-trial foreign prisoners in Bangladesh had been provided legal aid in the last one year and the cases against 37 of those foreigners had been rejected. -New Age, 22 January.