Main Page «
Front Page «
Metro «
Business «
International «
Sports «
Editorial «
Op-Ed «
Home «
Timeout «
Letters «

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

The Supreme Court has to frame rules to reduce undue delay in the justice delivery system of the courts, and the government should not go for enactment of any new law in this regard.
   This was the opinion of the law minister, Moudud Ahmed, expressed at a news conference held on Wednesday at the conference room of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
   He said the government had already amended the Civil Procedure Code by introducing various provisions, including restriction on injunction and adjournment of hearing of cases, in order to ensure speedy disposal of civil cases in the subordinate courts.
   The government should not go for enactment of any law introducing those provisions in the Supreme Court, as it is a constitutional court and the constitution has empowered the Supreme Court to make its own rules, he said.
   He said the government had already initiated the process of reforming the laws relating to land management.
   Separate tribunals will be established to deal with both the civil and criminal cases related to land disputes, said the minister, adding that at this moment about one million cases are pending with the courts and about 70 per cent of those cases are on land disputes.
   To make such provisions, a new law will be enacted and the law ministry has already prepared a draft bill seeking enactment of the Land Disputes and Offences (Special Provisions) Act.
   ‘We are now holding a series of roundtable meetings to get the opinion of all concerned quarters. To consult concerned people before enactment of laws is a new system introduced by this government,’ said the Moudud.
   The acts that have amended four out-dated laws relating to land management, which are due to take effect on July 1, will not make the deed writers jobless, but will ensure transparency and simplicity in the land management system, he said.
   Moudud revealed this at the ministry’s monthly routine press conference held on Wednesday
   The Registration (Amendment) Act 2004, the Transfer of Property (Amendment) Act 2004, the Specific Relief (Amendment) Act 2004 and the Limitation (Amendment) Act 2004 were passed by the Jatiya Sangsad in November 2004.
   These acts amended the Registration Act 1908, the Transfer of Property Act 1982, the Specific Relief Act 1877 and the Limitation Act 1908. The new acts were published in the official gazette on December 7.
   The acts, eventually, will reduce the number of new cases in the courts, civil or criminal, as they will improve the system of ownership and management of land and property and will also play a great role in stopping fraudulence in transfer and mortgage of land and property, said Moudud.
   The State Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Shahjahan Omar, also addressed the press conference. Senior officials of the ministry, including the secretary, Alauddin Sarder, the additional secretary, Habibul Awal, and the public relations officer, Parikshit Chowdhury, were present.

The Barisal Speedy Trial Tribunal on June 15 sentenced two persons to life imprisonment on the charge of shooting a UP chairman to death in Kathalia upazila under Jhalakati district.
   Zia Mridha and Mustafa Howladar were given life-term for killing Md Shah Alam Howladar, 52, a freedom-fighter and union parishad chairman of Patkalghata union under Kathalia upazila in Jhalakati district.
   Two other accused, Kalam Mridha and Milon, were acquitted.
   Those sentenced to life imprisonment were also fined Tk 10,000 each, and will suffer six more months in jail if they fail to pay the fine.
   MA Matin, judge of the Speedy Trial Tribunal of Barisal division, delivered the verdict in a crowded court-room under strict security on Wednesday afternoon.
   The trial was completed in the absence of Zia Mridha and Milon, who are both absconding.
   The prosecution said that since UP chairman Shah Alam Howladar played a strict role in maintaining law and order in his area, the angry miscreants threatened him with death several times.
   At about 8pm on January 23, 2004 when Shah Alam was returning home to Jorakhali after attending a social occasion in neighboring Marichbunia village, the accused ambushed him on the way.
   The killer’s cool-bloodedly fired on him from close range, and then fled from the place, leaving Alam bleeding on the roadside in a critical condition.
   Local people ran to the spot and rushed him to the local hospital, but the attending physician declared him dead.
   Nazmun Ara China, widow of the chairman, lodged a murder case in this connection on January 24, 2004 with the Kathalia police station. Bimal Kanti Das, OC of Kathalia police station, filed the charge-sheet against the accused on April 20, 2004.
   The case was sent to the Barisal Speedy Trial Tribunal on March 29, 2005, and the verdict was handed down after cross-examining 18 witnesses and hearing the arguments of both the sides.

The Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, urged people to plant at least three trees each during the rainy season to help resist environmental degradation on Wednesday.
   Inaugurating the three-month tree plantation programme of the Krishak League, the peasant wing, Hasina, also leader of the opposition in parliament, blamed the BNP-led alliance government responsible for destroying forests, which she said was turning the country into a desert.
   She planted three indigenous trees — one fruit bearing, one wood bearing and one medicinal — in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the Dhaka city before she addressed a rally.
   ‘The ruling party destroyed huge trees of Osmani Udyan, Chandrima Udyan, Gulshan and those at the side of the highways recently, which has had a negative impact on the ecology,’ said Hasina.
   Terming the BNP-Jamaat government enemy of environment, Hasina said the government had not been able to provide security people’s lives or for trees.
   She accused the government of importing date trees from the middle-east instead of sowing local trees. She said such initiatives were nothing but misappropriation of state funds.
   Hasina also criticised some intellectuals including Serajul Islam Chowdhury, Shamsur Rahman and Abdullah Abu Sayed who played a silent role during the indiscriminate tree cutting by ruling party men at Osmani Uddyan and other parts of the country although they resisted strongly to the Awami League’s bid for tree cutting during its regime.
   She also accused the government of polluting the environment of the Chittagong Hill Tracts by rehabilitating outsiders there violating the hill tracts peace accord.
   The AL chief urged the people to oust the government through greater movement to make the country free from political, social, economical and environmental pollution.

A women and children repression court in Natore on Wednesday sentenced a woman to life imprisonment on charge of her involvement in abduction, trafficking and forcing a minor girl into prostitution.
   Halima Khatun of village Najirpur at Gurudaspur abducted the girl, 12, while she was going to her uncle’s house at village Rashidpur on November 19, 1995.
   Halima then drugged her senseless and took her to a hotel in India and forced her into prostitution. But the girl managed to get away from the hotel with the help of Halima’s son Bikash.
   Later the girl took shelter at Lilua SMM Home. After some days, Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Parishad with the help of the home ministry helped her to return from India.
   Her uncle, Abdul Qader, filed a case accusing Halima.

The Ershad-led Jatiya Party on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the existing socio-economic and political condition of the country.
   The party presidium and advisory council at an urgent meeting at the Banani office of the party chairman also expressed concern over the price hike of essential commodities.
   The meeting also took a series of programmes, including rally in Dhaka, road march and rallies in divisional level, joint meetings of the district unit leaders of the party and its front organisations.
   The programmes will begin soon and will continue till the yearend, the meeting sources said.
   The meeting also observed that conspiracies were going on against the party chairman and the leaders were united in favour of him. The party men are united to resist any conspiracy against the party, it observed.
   Convened after the return of the party chairman from Saudi Arabia, the meeting was attended by 27 presidium members out of 41.
   Kazi Zafar Ahmed, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Sheikh Swakat Hossain Nilu were among those present at the meeting. Rawshan Ershad, Kazi Firoj Rashed, Shafiul Alam Pradhan did not attend, meeting sources said.