HC orders not to record cases under abolished act

Staff Correspondent: The High Court (HC) has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) not to record any case under the section 16 (2) of “The Special Powers Act, 1974.”

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman came up with the suo-moto order while hearing in several cases concerned on Monday.

The court also ordered the IGP to take necessary steps to ensure that people are not harassed through arrest under the abolished act.

Md Yousuf Mahmud Morshed, Assistant Attorney General of the court concerned, confirmed about the order.

He said, “The act does not exist now as it was abolished. So, filing case under the act is illegal.”

According to the statement, immediately after the fall of Ershad in 1990, the interim government headed by Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed scrapped the sections of 16, 17 and 18 of the Special Powers Act which was passed in the parliament in 1991 by the BNP government.

Later, sixteen sections of the act were retrieved during emergency rule in 2007. In 2008 after Awami League (AL) came to power, a total of 122 ordinances including one of the Special Powers Act were presented in the very first session of the government which were not passed. Since, sections of 16, 17 and 18 of the Special Powers Act still remain abolished.


risingbd/Dhaka/July 23, 2018/Mahidi/A K Azad