Law Week
Remove structures from Patuakhali riverbank: HC
The High Court (HC) on June 9 directed the government to remove all structures from the bank of Ramanabad river in Golachipa upazila of Patuakhali in two months. After holding hearing on a writ petition, the HC also declared construction of structures for a commercial market on the riverbank illegal. The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore delivered the verdict following the writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela). Bela filed the petition on April 5 last year as public interest litigation. The HC on the same day issued a rule upon the government to explain why the earth filling and construction of structures on the river bank should not be declared illegal.-The Daily star June 10 2011.
Over 70 housing projects illegal
The High Court on June 8 directed the government to remove or demolish 77 unauthorised housing projects in and around Dhaka within 30 days. The court in the verdict on a writ petition also ordered the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha and the police to stop advertisement, earth-filling and sale of plots by those housing projects and remove their signboards and hoardings immediately. The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore at the same time directed Rajuk to submit a report on compliance with the directives within 40 days.- The Daily star June 9 2011.
109 BGB men jailed
A special court on June 6 handed down rigorous punishment to 109 jawans of Rifles Security Unit in a case filed for the mutiny in February 25-26, 2009 at the then Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) headquarters in the capital. The special court-7 led by Maj Gen Md Rafiqul Islam, director general of Border Guard Bangladesh, also acquitted four of the charges and fined each convict Tk 100. Of the convicts, 34 jawans were sentences to highest seven years in prison while the others got shorter prison terms. The court altered punishment of a convicted jawan twice while delivering the verdict at the Pilkhana headquarters. Earler, Nayeb Subedar Abdul Matin Mia filed the case on May 6, 2010 against 113 BDR men including former RSU JCO Subedar Saidul Haque. -The Daily star June 7 2011.
Fresh charges against Koko, Saimon framed
A Dhaka court on June 6 framed fresh charges against Arafat Rahman Koko, son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Ismail Hossain Saimon, son of former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain, for money laundering. The charges against Koko and Saimon were reframed under Money Laundering Prevention Act 2002 to avoid legal complications as they were indicted for activities which occurred before 2009. Earlier on November 30 last year, the same court indicted Koko under Money Laundering Prevention Act 2009. Judge Mozammel Hossain of the Special Judge's Court-3 framed the charges after Special Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol submitted an application. The court set June 15 for the next hearing of the case.- The Daily star June 7 2011.
Shut illegal sawmills
The High Court on June 6 directed the government to immediately shut down the sawmills illegally set up in the Sakhipur reserve forest area in Tangail. In response to a writ petition filed on the basis of a report in The Daily Star, the court asked police to take action and file criminal cases against those responsible for felling trees in the forest. The HC bench of justices AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Gobinda Chandra Tagore ordered the government officials concerned to submit in 10 days a report on actions taken in compliance with the court order. It issued a ruling upon the government to explain in three weeks why it should not be directed to remove the sawmills from the reserve forest area and why its inaction to protect the forest should not be declared illegal.- The Daily star June 7 2011.
Hearing on charge framing against
Saeed Eskander July 6
A Dhaka court on June 5 deferred the hearing on charge framing against Major (Retd) Saeed Eskander till July 6 in connection with a corruption case. Judge AFM Aminul Islam of Special Judge Court-1 passed the order after Saeed Eskander's lawyer Sanaullah Miah submitted a petition seeking an adjournment of the hearing. Sanaullah in the petition said his client could not appear before it due to hartal called by his party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Benazir Ahmed, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet on February 6 to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, naming 12 witnesses.- The Daily star June 6 2011.
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