<%-- Page Title--%> Law Week <%-- End Page Title--%>

July 27, 2003 

Judge received showcause notice from Judge

Yusuf Ali, Second Assistant Judge, Dhaka, received a showcause notice as he failed to show due respect to the District and Session Judge's Court. On July 17, Judge ATM Fazle Kabir issued the order as to why a proceeding of contempt of court should not be taken against the second assistant judge for violating his (district judge) order by not sending a civil suit file to the District and Session Judge's Court though he (district judge) directed the assistant judge to send it for several dates. The district judge issued the order following a petition submitted by the Government Pleader (GP) Nurul Islam Mollah on June 30, seeking a proceeding on the contempt of court for violating the district judge's order. Usually general people or government bodies face the show-cause notice or the proceeding of contempt of court if they do not show respect to the court. - The Daily Star, 22 July.

Amnesty accuses US of HR abuses in Iraq

Amnesty International yesterday accused US troops of 'very severe' human rights abuses in iraq and complained that it had been denied access to thousands of prisoners held without charge in 'appalling condition'. Amnesty spokesman Judit Arenas Licea said some Iraqis had been forced to stand under the blistering sun for5 up to 48 hours in Us-run detention centres that lack proper sanitation and that relatives had no information on their plight. Condemning conditions at among other sites Saddam Hussain's once notorious Abu Ghraib prison, she said 'we are disappointed that human rights were used as an excuse to go to war in Iraq and now the human rights of Iraqis are being violated.'- The Daily Star, 21 July.

DMP's help line introduced

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police have launched three new teams for crime intervention and crime prevention. Anyone needing help can call the DMP at 999 and ask it for 'Help Line' that is the name of the newly formed police teams. Help Line members are will race to the caller for assistance or to the spots of incident or crime without delay. The Help Line teams, each working eight hours, will take care of the distressed and injured or arrest any people committing crime. Anyone having any information about any incident of crime or any situation policemen should deal with can also dial to Help Line.-The Daily Star, 24 July.

Mig 29 case to be heard soon

The primary hearing of Mig 29 case in International Court of Arbitration is going to be started soon. Russian Aircraft Corporation, supplier of Mig 29, filed the case at the beginning of this year as Bangladesh, as per their demand, had postponed payment of instalments without notifying the specific reasons to them. Bangladesh is hopefully contesting in the case. In the meanwhile, both parties has submitted necessary instruments and documents in favour of their demands.- Jugantor, 17 July.

Anti-crime drive in the S-W region

There begun a anticrime drive in the SouthWestern region on Sunday morning. The Joint forces comprising police, paramilitary BDR, ansars, VDP (Village Defence Party) and Coast Guard mounted the manhunt for 160 top criminals who figure on the Khulna division police list. As a matter of fact, the drive came against 11-armed groups that made the southwestern region a bastion of their criminal activities in the name of class struggle that averaged two murders a day before its launch. However, the state secretary informed that the drive would be widened in the whole country.- Prothom Alo, 21 July.

OC summoned for suing innocent

A court of Satkhira summoned the OC of Tala police station on Sunday next for recording a false extortion case against an innocent person. As at one stage of trial, the so-called complainant of the case Noor Mohammad told the court that he did not file any case against any one, the magistrate transferred the case to the district and sessions judge's court. Additional district and sessions judge No-1 took up the case. Judge Tapas Kumar Dey then summoned the OC of Tala Police Station, Matiar Rahman, to appear before the court for recording the false case and harassing an innocent person. -The Daily Star, 16 July.

Parliamentary standing committees formed

In the last session of the Parliament 34 parliamentary standing committees on different ministries have been formed. Five out of 39 ministerial standing committees were formed in the seventh session in May. At the session, six non-ministerial standing committees were also constituted and the other five in the very first session in 2001. Apart from the formation of 34 ministerial standing committees, the session witnessed re-constitution of five standing committees. The formation of the standing bodies came 20 months into the 8th parliament. In every ministerial standing body, two of 10-member slots were left vacant for the inclusion of nominees from the main opposition party. But not a single chairman's slot was left for the opposition parties. Lawmakers from the BNP and its partners in the government head all these committees. -Jugantar, 16 July.

Cop held for mugging

Motijheel police arrested a police constable, including two people, for snatching over Tk 5 lakh from a businessman in front of Polwell Super market, only a hundred yards away from Motijheel Police Station. The arrested police constable Tajul Islam worked as a computer operator at the Additional Deputy Commissioner's (Prosecution) office and Sarwar Hossain, a ward-boy, in Rajarbagh Police Hospital. Six people led by constable Tajul intercepted a businessman, Jamal, and snatched away the money. As the gang was leaving, Jamal caught one of the gang members. Tajul shot Jamal in the thigh and the muggers fled the spot. Two separate cases were filed under the Speedy Trail Act with Motijheel Police Station in this regard. -Jugantor, 17 July.

39 working women raped in 6 months

A survey conducted by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) reveals that at least 39 working women and girls in different industrial sectors and services were raped in first six months of the current year. Seven of them were brutally killed after the rape. Of the total victims, 18 were garment workers, 11 domestic helps, six construction labourers and four in other sectors. The survey attributed the incidents primarily to late night work and lack of transportation facilities. In the case of domestic workers, cruelty of housemasters, wives and their sons was responsible for the rape. - Law Desk.

Lawyers for withdrawal of mandatory tax

Tax lawyers demanded withdrawal of some of the provisions of the Finance Bill 2003 that made submission of income tax returns mandatory by professionals irrespective of their income. Addressing a press conference, Bangladesh Tax Lawyers Association president also demanded scrapping of the provision of compulsory filing of income tax returns by member and chairman candidates of municipal and village elections. The Association, a national forum of tax lawyers and practitioners, termed the law as anti-people and said the compulsions would turn the law into a repressive one. The requirement of submitting Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN) for issuing license to new doctors, chartered accountants, cost and management accountants and lawyers was inhuman, it asserted. The tax lawyers, however, appreciated the Finance Minister for bringing some changes on their request like reducing the ceiling in case of self-assessment. -The Daily Star, 16 July.

Chargesheet pressed for Sultana murder

The Detective Branch (DB) of police pressed charges against four persons involved in Sultana Khan Panni murder yesterday. Inspector Abdul Quddus Khan submitted the charge sheet before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court, Dhaka. In the charge sheet, the four accused are the cook of the house, Alauddin Munshi, caretaker Mehedi Mamun Rana, their friends Nasir Uddin and Emdadul Haq. In the charge sheet, 26 people were shown as prosecution witnesses. The accused earlier made confessional statements before the metropolitan magistrate on different dates. Sultana Khan Panni, 70, wife of former deputy speaker Humayun Khan Panni, was strangled at her Dhanmondi residence in May 19, this year. -Jugantor, 17 July.
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