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PRESIDENTIAL MERCY

Enayetur granted anticipatory bail

Lawyers protest 'false' case, release Moudud's photos with Jhintu

Staff Correspondent
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Secretary Enayetur Rahim yesterday secured anticipatory bail from the High Court in a defamation suit filed by Law Minister Moudud Ahmed.
Advocate Rahim surrendered before the High Court yesterday, a day after the court of Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka issued warrant of arrest against him following Moudud's filing of the suit for making "false statement" about him on the issue of presidential amnesty granted to Mohiuddin Ahmed Jhintu, the much-talked-about convict of capital punishment.
Meanwhile, lawyers yesterday
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released a set of pictures showing Moudud receiving reception from Jhintu in Sweden.
A High Court division bench granted Rahim the bail moved by Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam and issued a rule upon the government to explain why regular bail should not be granted to him. The bail will continue till disposal of the rule.
More than 100 lawyers, including Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud, were present for the petitioner.
Earlier, the SCBA in an urgent general meeting protested and condemned the law minister for filing the "unjust and false case" and decided to fight legal battle for its secretary.
The law minister has filed the case against the SCBA secretary to create pressure on the lawyers' movement, said the meeting resolution.
Rahim had issued a statement on Monday accusing Moudud of orchestrating clemency to Jhintu, who had been awarded death penalty in absentia by a martial law court in 1982 in a double murder case.
Rahim alleged that the law minister visited Sweden and took Jhintu's hospitality there a few days before Jhintu, claimed to be the founder president of the Sweden chapter of BNP, returned to Bangladesh on January 3.
Jhintu was granted the presidential clemency 10 days later.
The parliamentary standing committee on law, justice and parliamentary affairs at a meeting last Thursday blamed the law ministry for not giving appropriate opinion in the summary prepared for Jhintu's clemency after examining all documents of the double murder case.
The law minister told reporters that the home ministry prepared the summary without mentioning the fact that another accused in the case had already been hanged. He also claimed that his ministry did not make any comment in favour or against granting clemency to Jhintu.
After the SCBA secretary issued a statement alleging Moudud's involvement in the process of clemency, Moudud said he went to Sweden on April 20 and returned to Bangladesh on April 25, much before Jhintu's return to the country.
MOUDUD WITH JHINTU
A group of Supreme Court lawyers disclosed some pictures yesterday that depict the Bangladeshi expatri-
ates in Sweden led by Jhintu exchanging complements with the law minister.
The lawyers yesterday also distributed copies of Probashir Kantho, a Bangla monthly published from Sweden that carried out a news item on the reception accorded to Barrister Moudud and his wife Hasna J Moudud.
The monthly also mentioned about a meeting organised at a Swedish restaurant named Payel. Jhintu presided over the meeting and expressed, in his welcome speech, his pleasure to meet Moudud after a long time.
MOUDUD'S VERSION
Talking to reporters after release of the pictures yesterday, Barrister Moudud denied that he knew Jhintu.
"I went to Sweden four months after he [Jhintu] was granted mercy. I did not know him earlier and don't know even now," he said.
"It is not clear when the pictures were taken. When I went to Sweden, the expatriates accorded me a reception. I didn't know all present there and I didn't know Jhintu," he said.
PROTEST
Pro-opposition lawyers under the banner of Sammilita Ainjibi Samannay Parishad (SASP) yesterday castigated Moudud for filing the defamation case against Enayetur Rahim.
The SASP staged a human chain and held a meeting on the SCBA premises protesting the presidential amnesty to Jhintu and the case filed by the law minister against Advocate Rahim.
The SASP leaders demanded withdrawal of the defamation case against Enayetur Rahim.
They also demanded immediate resignation of Barrister Moudud for his failure in discharging duties to execute the capital punishment of Jhintu, a convict of a double murder case.
Presided over by Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam, the meeting was addressed, among others, by SCBA President Mahbubey Alam, former SCBA president Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder, Advocate Abdul Matin Khasru, Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, Advocate Bashir Ahmed, Advocate Nurul Islam Sujan and Advocate Abdul Mannan.