Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Wednesday directed the law enforcing agencies across the country to take necessary steps to stop the arrangement of ‘salish’ (arbitrations) to resolve the rape incidents.
The salish or village panchayat has acted for many years as a traditional judicial mechanism, operating mostly in rural parts of Bangladesh.
The court also ordered the authorities concerned of the government to submit a report to this court
in three months on the number of rape cases sent to tribunals for trial in the last five years.
The report must state what steps have been taken to ensure completion of trial proceedings of rape cases in 180 days in line with the court’s earlier directives.
The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain in four weeks as to why holding of ‘salish’ to deal with rape incidents should not be declared a criminal offence.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading rights organization, on October 19 over this issue.
Lawyers Aneek R Haque and Yeadia Zaman appeared for the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Nawroz MR Chowdhury represented the state.
Lawyer Shahinuzzaman Shahin had submitted the petition on behalf of ASK saying that rape is a non-compoundable criminal offence and could not be settled through ‘salish’ or outside the court.
In the petition, he requested the HC to issue necessary directives to ensure completion of trial proceedings of rape cases in 180 days in line with earlier HC directives and relevant provisions of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000.
In the petition, the organization urged the HC to find out the number of rape cases that were filed with police stations across the country and sent to courts for trial in the last 10 years.
The ASK in the petition also prayed to the HC to issue a directive on the authorities to implement the provision of holding closed-door trial of the rape cases.
The High Court on Wednesday directed the law enforcing agencies across the country to take necessary steps to stop the arrangement of ‘salish’ (arbitrations) to resolve the rape incidents.
The salish or village panchayat has acted for many years as a traditional judicial mechanism, operating mostly in rural parts of Bangladesh.
The court also ordered the authorities concerned of the government to submit a report to this court
in three months on the number of rape cases sent to tribunals for trial in the last five years.
The report must state what steps have been taken to ensure completion of trial proceedings of rape cases in 180 days in line with the court’s earlier directives.
The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain in four weeks as to why holding of ‘salish’ to deal with rape incidents should not be declared a criminal offence.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading rights organization, on October 19 over this issue.
Lawyers Aneek R Haque and Yeadia Zaman appeared for the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Nawroz MR Chowdhury represented the state.
Lawyer Shahinuzzaman Shahin had submitted the petition on behalf of ASK saying that rape is a non-compoundable criminal offence and could not be settled through ‘salish’ or outside the court.
In the petition, he requested the HC to issue necessary directives to ensure completion of trial proceedings of rape cases in 180 days in line with earlier HC directives and relevant provisions of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000.
In the petition, the organization urged the HC to find out the number of rape cases that were filed with police stations across the country and sent to courts for trial in the last 10 years.
The ASK in the petition also prayed to the HC to issue a directive on the authorities to implement the provision of holding closed-door trial of the rape cases.
