Action, if section 54 abused: Minister

Action will be taken upon abuse of section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said today.

Every person has to follow the directives of the apex court, Asaduzzaman replied reporters when asked about lawmen’s harassment under the section 54.

The minister came up with his comment at the Secretariat hours after the Supreme Court upheld a High Court directive with some modifications and guidelines to stop police force from making arbitrary arrests on suspicion and torturing arrestees on remand.

The HC 13 years ago issued 15-point directives barring the government from arresting any person under the Special Powers Act after picking him/her up on suspicion.

The HC on April 7, 2003 ruled that sections 54 and 167 of the CrPC dealing with the arrest on suspicion and subsequent remand respectively were not consistent with the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution.