LAW
week
Govt,
ACC at loggerheads
The government ordered employees of the now-defunct Bureau
of Anti-Corruption (Bac) not to work for the Anti-Corruption
Commission (ACC) until rules and regulations of the newly
formed body are formulated.
The Cabinet Division in a circular formally announced
1,107 Bac staff as government's reserve employees in the
wake of boiling conflicts between the government and the
ACC. The Bac officials have been temporarily working at
the antigraft commission since November 21.
The latest development is going to stall the ACC investigations
into the status of 1,028 vehicles purchased for different
development projects and allegations of tax dodging by
a business house.
The ACC chairman, its two commissioners and their personal
staff, meanwhile, are shifting their offices today from
the Segunbagicha Bac office to the Bureau of Statistics
building at Agargaon. They were attending their duties
at the former Bac office since the ACC started functioning
on November 21. - The Daily Star, January 4
HC
stay controversial RU recruits
The controversially appointed 546 employees at Rajshahi
University (RU), aggrieved at reports of the High Court's
stay order on their recruitment staged angry demonstrations
on the campus.
They confined RU vice chancellor (VC) at his office for
four and a half hours, cut off power and water connections
to the VC's house, locked offices of the pro-VC and proctor
and stopped movement of RU vehicles.
They brought out processions chanting slogans against
the administration and demanded confirmation of their
jobs by calling an urgent syndicate meeting within 24
hours.
Lawyer Abu Aslam filed a suit with Rajshahi Sadar senior
assistant judge's court on April 25 following RU authoroties'
appointment of 546 employees which was made without proper
advertisements and despite having not as many vacant posts.
The court issued an injunction on the recruitment on June
23. Later Rajshahi district and sessions judge vacated
the lower court order following a petition of RU authorities.
After a writ petition of Abu Aslam, the High Court stayed
for six months the vacating order on the injunction. -
Prothom Alo, January 4.
Ahmadiyya
Books
HC asks govt why ban should not be illegal
The High Court issued rule on the government for its ban
on the Ahmadiyya publications and stayed the ban for another
three weeks. The court asked the government to reply why
the government order banning Ahmadiyya publications, sale,
distribution and preservation would not be declared illegal
for being violative to the constitution and fundamental
rights of the community.
The respondents -- the home secretary, senior assistant
secretary of the home ministry, inspector general of police
and deputy controller of Bangladesh Press (BG Press) --
will have to reply to the court in two weeks.
A High Court Division bench comprising Justice MA Matin
and Justice AFM Abdur Rahman passed the order after hearing.
- The Daily Ittefaq, January 3.
HC
halts election to JS reserved seats for women
The High Court (HC) directed the government and the Election
Commission (EC) not to hold polls to 45 seats reserved
for women in the Jatiya Sangsad, until hearing of a writ
petition challenging the election process.
The HC bench of Justice MA Matin and Justice AFM Abdur
Rahman passed the order following a petition filed by
13 women leaders seeking an injunction on the polls process.
The court fixed February 23 for hearing the petition.
On December 14 last year, the HC had issued a rule on
the government asking it to explain in two weeks' time
why the law providing for election to the reserved seats
for woman should not be declared unconstitutional. The
court, however, had not then ruled on whether there should
be a stay of operation of the law itself.
Two more writ petitions relating to the 14th amendment
to the constitution, which provided for the 45 reserved
seats for women in parliament, were filed earlier and
the HC had issued separate rule following the petitions.
The EC, on December 21, asked the political parties and
alliance concerned to send lists of their candidates by
December 28 for election to the reserved seats. -The
Daily Star, January 5.
