Ashutosh Sarkar

Around 5,000 prisoners, who have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, are yet to know how long they will have to serve in jails, as the Supreme Court has not delivered its verdict on the long pending review petition involving the dispute over the tenure of life imprisonment.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has caused a delay in filing appeals with the Supreme Court challenging its High Court verdict in the sensational BDR carnage case.

Judges of the Supreme Court’s appellate and high court divisions have decided in principle that they will work extra time after their office hours in two days a week to reduce the backlog of pending cases.

On August 5, 2015, a man was arrested because five cheques he gave to his business partner bounced -- a criminal offence as per the law. This offence carries one year’s jail term as punishment.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday expressed disappointment that the 2003 High Court verdict, barring police from making arbitrary arrests on suspicion and torturing people during remand, have not been executed in 17 years.

Declaring gambling in any form, involving cards or roll of the dice or luck and through games like bingo, a criminal offence, the High Court yesterday asked the government to stop these nationwide.

Neither the defence nor the state side in the 2009 BDR mutiny case have yet received the certified copy of the High Court verdict, which is necessary for them to move appeals before the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, challenging the HC judgement.

The High Court has stressed the need for preventing financial scams in the banking sector.

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the death sentence of former Jatiya Party leader Syed Mohammad Qaisar, for his involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes -- including killing and rape -- during the 1971 Liberation War.

The intention of the massacre and atrocities at the BDR Pilkhana headquarters in 2009 was to depose the newly formed Awami League-led government, create a political crisis, and damage democracy, said the High Court in the full text of the BDR mutiny case verdict.

The government has taken an initiative to appoint 100 assistant judges to lower courts, in addition to another 100 whose appointments are now under process.

The inspector general of police needs to take necessary measures to ensure quick probe into allegations against law enforcers and actions against those found guilty, the High Court has observed in the full text of a verdict.

The High Court is likely to release, within a week or two, the full text of its verdict that confirmed death penalty for 139 accused and upheld life imprisonment of 185 others for their involvement in the massacre during the BDR mutiny in 2009.

Wearing Khaki uniforms and carrying Sten guns and SLRs (self-loading rifles), five army personnel arrived at the erstwhile Dhaka central jail around 4:00am on November 3, 1975.

Some 29 appeals filed by the convicted war criminals against their death sentences are still pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

The High Court has directed the authorities concerned to bring bus services in all metropolitan cities under the franchising system, which would allow one company to operate all buses on each route and end unhealthy competition among drivers.

It is uncertain when the High Court will deliver its verdict on the writ petitions seeking actions against those who attacked Buddhist communities in Ramu in 2012 as well as the negligent administration officials who didn’t prevent the mayhem.

Victim families of a tragic 2003 launch accident in Meghna river are yet to get any compensation, nearly 28 months after the High Court directed authorities concerned for doing so.

The Supreme Court administration has issued a show-cause notice on an official, over a seven-month delay in sending a High Court order for finishing the trial of sensational Ishtiaq Ahmed Jonny murder case, to the lower court concerned.

Even as Jaha Alam languished in jail for a crime he did not commit, eight of the 11 Anti-Corruption Commission officials whose faulty investigations led to his wrongful imprisonment were promoted and given more serious responsibilities.