Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday stayed the effectiveness of a government notification that cancelled freedom fighter status of 119 members of Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB).
The HC Bench of Justice JBM Hassan passed the order after holding a virtual hearing on two separate writ petitions filed by the 119 BGB personnel challenging the government decision.
The stay order will remain in force till reopening of the regular court activities after the ongoing lockdown according to the HC order. Now there is no bar for the 119 BGB men to get benefits as freedom fighters, said Barrister Abdul Qaium, a counsel for the writ petitioners.
The lawyer said that the HC stayed the effectiveness of the government notification that cancelled the freedom fighter status of his clients as the government has took decision without giving them any scope for defending themselves.
These BGB men joined in now defunct BDR as freedom fighters and they had been included in the gazette notification of the list of freedom fighters after scrutinizing their relevant documents and papers, added the lawyer.
On June 7, the Liberation War Affairs Ministry issued a gazette notification cancelling freedom fighter status of 1,134 BGB personnel, including the 119 writ petitioners, on charge of obtaining the status by placing fake documents.
Deputy Attorney General Samarendranath Biswas represented the State during the virtual hearing on the writ petitions.
