Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Thursday disposed of a writ petition filed by Tafsir Awal, one of the Directors of Multimode Group Limited, challenging the legality of a travel ban on him by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The High Court Bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after hearing on a written representation filed by Tafsir Awal over his staying abroad.
Barrister Saqeb Mahbub, one of the counsels of Tafsir, said there is now no bar on Tafsir from entering or leaving Bangladesh. It is notable that till the day the ACC has not filed any FIR against Tafsir, added the lawyer.
The lawyer said, “Tafsir Awal is a regular traveler and wanted to visit UK as part of his regular journey to this destination in January 2021. He went to the airport on January 24 in 2021 boarded the Biman Bangladesh flight scheduled for London where the immigration authority stopped him without any prior notice citing that they had instruction from their higher officials not to allow him to leave the country.”
Sources said the ACC on October 4 in 2020 without filing any case against Tafsir imposed a travel ban on him. Then Tafsir moved a writ petition in the High Court and upon hearing the High Court Bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir on May 5 in 2021 issued a rule and asked the ACC to allow Tafsir to leave and re-enter the country.
Thereafter the ACC moved a petition before the Appellate Division challenging the interim order passed by the High Court and the full court of the Appellate Division passed a judgment in favor of Tafsir stating that the ACC cannot impose any such ban on Tafsir without an order from the court.
On Thursday, Tafsir Awal’s legal representatives Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan and Barrister Saqeb Mahbub moved the writ petition before the High Court. And the High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman disposed of the petition in light of the Appellate Division’s earlier judgment.
Barrister Saqeb said since in the Appellate Division’s judgment, it was held that travel ban by executive order without permission of court is illegal, as such, the ACC’s travel restriction imposed on Awal on October 4 in 2020 can now be said to be illegal.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the hearing on behalf of the ACC and Deputy Attorney General AM Amin Uddin Manik represented the State.
