Dhaka, May 6 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Awami League on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the surge in “false and baseless” cases against ordinary citizens across the country, noting that detainees continue to face hardship in securing their release despite being granted bail from the court.
“The cases have now become a deadly trap for ordinary people. On one hand, there are widespread allegations of false and baseless cases being filed; on the other, even after securing bail from the court, detainees face unbearable suffering to obtain release. Bail on paper is being obstructed in practice by a ‘five-layer invisible clearance’ system within the police and a chain of commercialised shown arrests,” the Awami League posted on X.
Citing its investigations, the party said that in at least 20 cases filed at different police stations in Dhaka, “there is evidence of delays in release even after bail was granted.”
The Awami League said that under the law, authorities are required to implement bail orders promptly once granted by the court. However, it alleged that in practice, a fresh and prolonged process begins once the order reaches the administration.
“From the Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) to divisional police offices, intelligence branches, and finally the concerned police station — delays are intentionally created before the report reaches the prison. Allegations suggest that large sums of money are demanded at each step,” the party stated.
The Awami League noted that in several instances while families await anxiously outside the prison gate, the detainees are suddenly “shown arrested” in another case.
“In political and conflict-related cases, if the police station is not ‘managed’, release becomes extremely difficult. Just as someone is about to be freed in one case, their name is inserted into another case at a nearby police station,” the party quoted Farzana Yasmin Rakhi, a lawyer at the Dhaka Judge Court, as saying.
According to the Awami League, the provisions for an “interim report” in the country’s Criminal Procedure Code to prevent harassment of innocent individuals have “become a tool of corruption”.
The party also accused investigating officers of facilitating the release of influential individuals linked to the July 2024 protests in exchange for money, leaving innocent individuals without financial means to suffer.
Asserting that the legal experts consider bail a “constitutional right”, the Awami League said, “But when this right turns into a commodity at the administrative level, public trust in the justice system is severely undermined. Ending this harmful practice requires urgent measures, including digital tracking and ensuring accountability.”
–IANS
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