Editorial
Arrest on mere allegation!
Whither rule of law?
We write, not so much because of the person but fundamentally because of the issue involved. An editor of an online news platform and also of a Bangla weekly has not only been arrested but also sent on two-day police remand, on allegation of extortion. The allegation against the person was made by a travel agency which, reportedly, does not even exist. We are surprised by the unprecedented process of both arrest and remand.
Anybody can level an allegation against anybody. The procedure is to carry out an investigation into the allegations, ascertain their veracity and, on the basis of the findings, proceed accordingly. In this case, the court directed the Kalabagan Thana O.C. to treat the petition before the court as FIR and take up the case. We understand that an officer was designated as investigator. So, investigation into the allegation should have preceded any action against the person concerned. One may wonder why the accused was placed on remand on mere allegation.
We feel that the process followed is a travesty of justice and an aberration of rule of law. The court is the last resort for the aggrieved. It is the court's ultimate responsibility to ensure that anyone innocent is not victimized and the guilty is punished. But when the system, even if unwittingly, becomes warped, it is bound to sap the confidence of the general public in the system.
It is not our intention to make a value judgment on the merit of the allegation; we are only questioning the fact that the arrest and remand were ordered even before the merit of the case was ascertained. This has set a dangerous precedent. And that is what worries us.
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