Proceedings of 117 cases against some 200 alleged terrorists of several militant organisations have become uncertain, as the trial court judge did not follow the relevant law properly.

Under the Anti-terrorism Act 2009, the trial court must take government permission before accept-

ing charges in any case filed under the law. But Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Zahirul Haque has not done so, High Court sources said.

In his written reply to an HC rule about the cases, Zahirul on November 26 said he did not take government permission before taking charges into cognisance as the prosecution and defence lawyers did

not make him aware of the provision.

The judge also apologised to the HC for not following the law properly, and said he later sought government permission for holding the trial.

Leaders and activists of various banned militant organisations, including Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, Jagroto Muslim Janata, Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) and Shahadat-e Al Hikma, are accused in these cases, said the HC sources.

Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh coordinator Mohiuddin Ahmed, also an associate professor of Dhaka University, is among the accused. He is now out in bail, the sources added.

The HC on November 12 issued a rule asking Judge Zahirul Haque to explain why he had accepted charges in two cases under the anti-terrorism act without government approval.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury issued the rule at a hearing on two bail petitions filed by four accused in the two cases.

The bench is set to pass an order on the rule today.

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Mohammadpur police filed the two cases in June against some activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir, including the four petitioners.

Nur Mohammad and Shafayet Jamil Sohag,

accused in the case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station, and Ariful Islam and Ariful Karim, accused in the case filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, filed the petitions with the HC on October 18 and Novembers.

Their counsel, Cumar Debul Dey, moved the petitions, told The Daily Star yesterday the trial court judge had no permission from the government to accept the charges.

The HC can quash all the 117 cases when they will be challenged, he told the court in his argument.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the government would soon issue a gazette notification empowering the trial courts to go ahead with the cases without having to take government permission.

There would be no legal bar to run the 117 cases after the issuance of the notification, he added.

But Debul Dey said any such move by the government at this stage would be illegal and the higher court could still quash all the cases, as the charges were accepted illegally.