Staff Reporter :The High Court has ordered the police to take legal action against the under age driver Fareez Rahman, nephew of former Awami League MP Dr HBM Iqbal, within two weeks for killing a child and injuring four others by reckless driving at Gulshan in the city.A High Court vacation bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir on Tuesday passed the order after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by six persons, including five lawyers. The public interest litigation was filed with the High Court on Monday seeking trial of Fareez and adequate compensation for the victims. The bench further said a show cause notice would be served to the police if legal actions are not taken under the laws concerned.State counsel Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim said the bench asked why departmental action should not be taken against the Gulshan Police Station OC for failing to discharge his duty in connection with the October 12 incident.Home Affairs Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic), Additional Police Commissioner (Investigation) and Officer-in-Charge of Gulshan Police Station were made respondents to the writ.Though the October 12 incident created quite a stir in social media, neither the driver has been arrested nor any case has been filed yet. Iqbal’s 16-year-old nephew, driving without a licence, hit two rickshaws in Gulshan area. Eighteen is the minimum age for obtaining a driving licence in Bangladesh.According to policemen present at the scene that day, Fareez had been drinking alcohol before the crash.Police initially took the former MP’s nephew into custody but soon let him off. No case has been filed yet.One of the plaintiffs’ lawyer Anik Ara Haq said a case had to be filed within 21 days of an incident. “We still have 14 days left… the court has ordered police to take legal action within this time,” he said.Haq added the court would be informed if police did not start legal proceedings within the given time.Deputy Commissioner Khan said they were yet to receive court’s directive. “We’ll do whatever the court asks us to,” he added. It is rumoured that the former MP’s nephew had fled the country a day after the incident. “We’ll bring him back in accordance with legal provisions if the rumour is true,” the police officer said.
