HC asks if any exercise to assign reasons for failing to dispose of case

The High Court today wanted to know whether there is any exercise of the provision of Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-2000 that asks the trial court to assign reasons for not disposal of a case under this law in 180 days.

Under section 20 of the law, a lower court concerned has to finish the trial proceedings of a case filed under this law in 180 days after charge-framing.

According to section 31(ka) of the law, if the trial court cannot finish the trial proceedings in 180 days, the court has to submit a report to the Supreme Court mentioning the reasons for not finishing the trial, and then the SC will take necessary steps, Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir told The Daily Star.

The HC today asked the law secretary and registrar general of the Supreme Court to explain in 30 days whether there is any exercise of the sections of the law and whether the SC and law ministry have taken any step in this regard.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice JBM Hassan passed the order during hearing a bail petition filed by a Milad Hossain, accused of a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000.

Petitioner's lawyer Cumar Debul Dey said the case was filed with Rangunia Police Station in Chittagong on February 19, 2015 against Milad Hossain on charge of killing his wife.

Later on, the case was sent to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 of Chittagong for its trial.

The tribunal framed charges in the case on March 21 this year but could not finish the trial in 180 days, he said, adding that even no witness of the case appeared before the court yet.

Milad, who is now in custody, has recently filed a petition with the HC seeking bail in the case.