HC warns Lohagara UNO for misuse of mobile court

HC warns Lohagara UNO for misuse of mobile court

Dhaka, Jan 29 (Just News): The High Court on Monday warned Lohagara upazila nirbahi officer Mahabub Alam in Chittagong for misusing the mobile court by jailing a man for eight months while he was in the police custody after he was arrested for possessing 10 grams of cannabis.

The court also asked the inspector general of police to transfer Lohagara police station officer-in-charge Shah Jahan to other police station for producing Belal Uddin in a mobile court held by executive magistrate Mahabub Alam instead of producing him in a judicial magistrate’s court immediately after Belal was arrested.

The court, however, exempted the UNO and the OC and two sub-inspectors of the same police station Helal Khan and Washim Mia from their personal appearance during next hearing of the rule on the matter.

The bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan passed the order after hearing their petitions seeking unconditional apology for abusing the process of the mobile court.

On Sunday, the bench reprimanded the executive magistrate and the three police officers, who were summoned to the hearing, for gross violation of the law.

On the night of October 13, 2017, Belal was arrested by the police allegedly after finding 10 grams of cannabis in his possession and he was taken to the mobile court over four hours after he was arrested.

On January 14, the bench summoned the UNO and the police officers to appear before it and explain in person why jailing a citizen by a mobile court without producing him before a judicial magistrate’s court immediately after arrest would not be declared illegal.

The bench also asked the UNO and the three police officers to explain why action would not be taken against them for such gross violation of the law.

The bench also asked them to explain why they would not be directed to pay Tk 20 lakh as compensation to the victim for illegally handing him eight months’ jail sentence that made him to have already served his term for 38 days.

The bench passed the order after hearing a writ petition of the victim, now free on bail.

(Justnews/ys/1410)