24,013 politically motivated harassment cases withdrawn: Law minister
Collected Photo
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said 24,013 cases filed for the purpose of harassment due to political reasons during the regime of the Awami League government have been withdrawn.
He confirmed the information on Tuesday in response to a question from Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md Keramat Ali of Chapainawabganj-1 constituency in the National Parliament.
The law minister added that the process of withdrawing cases filed due to political reasons began during the tenure of the interim government. After assuming office, the government took initiatives to make the process more dynamic and effective.
As part of this initiative, a four-member committee was formed at the district level on 5 March. The deputy commissioner (DC) was appointed as the chairman of this committee.
He added, “The district-level committees review applications for case withdrawal, first information reports (FIRs), certified copies of charge sheets where applicable, and the opinions of public prosecutors.
“The committee recommends the withdrawal of cases considering whether any case was filed for the purpose of political harassment, whether continuing the judicial proceedings of the case is necessary in the public interest, and whether there is any fear of the state’s interests being harmed if the trial process remains ongoing.”
The law minister informed that a six-member central committee headed by him was formed on 8 March to verify the recommendations of the district committees and coordinate overall case withdrawal activities.
He said, “If an application is received for the withdrawal of any case that appears to have been filed for the purpose of political harassment, the government will take necessary action based on the recommendation of the concerned district committee.”
