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The High Court (HC) issued Sunday injunctions restraining the government from making any further arrest under section 54 of CrPC and 86 of the DMP Ordinance without warrant, as opposition politicians complained of mass arrests during their long march, reports UNB.
Also, the HC ordered the authorities concerned to strictly comply with the court's previous guidelines given on April 7, 2003 with regard to exercise of their powers of arrest and submit a report within a fortnight detailing the names and particulars of persons arrested under the two sections.
Passing the twin-orders, a two-member division bench headed by Justice MA Matin issued rule upon the government with a pack of show-cause notices, in one asking to explain why the section 86 of the DMP Ordinance should not be declared unlawful and ultra vires of the Constitution.
The court also asked the government to show cause why the 'wholesale' and 'mass' arrests and detention of citizens should not be declared illegal and why they should not be directed to refrain from "unwarranted and abusive exercise of powers".
Furthermore, the court asked the government to explain why it should not be directed to pay compensation to those arrested and detained "in derogation of their fundamental rights".
The HC rulings came as ZI Khan Panna, chairman of the human-right wing of Bangladesh Bar Council, a statutory body regulating the lawyers, took up the complaints of large-scale arrests with the court.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ filed by him challenged the validity of the "arbitrary mass arrests" across the country since February 3 ahead of the 'long march' to Dhaka Sunday at the call of Awami League-led 14-party opposition alliance.
Their long march programme, which culminated into a grand rally in Dhaka Sunday, was thrown to press home demands that include resignation of the four-party alliance government and holding a free, fair and credible election under a reformed caretaker government and election commission. Politician-jurist Dr Kamal Hossain, appeared for the writ petitioner.
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