Staff Reporter :
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for hearing a rule on compensating Jahlam, who passed three years in jail whereas the real accused was at large.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed a stay petition on this rule filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Now, the High Court will fix a date for holding hearing on the rule, Advocate Amit Das Gupta, the lawyer who moved for the Suo Moto rule, said.
Advocate A M Amin Uddin appeared for Jahlam at the Supreme Court, while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan argued for the state-run Anti-Corruption Commission.
On April 23, 2019, the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stayed till May 13 all the High Court proceedings regarding Jahlam after hearing a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking stay on the HC hearing on the issue.
The apex court Chamber Judge also sent the stay petition to its full bench for hearing on May 13. As per the previous order, the SC heard the case yesterday.
Jute mill worker Jahlam, who had been wrongly languishing in jail since February 2016, was released on February 4 this year following a HC directive.
The ACC submitted the stay petition to the SC on April 21 saying that the HC bench of Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan and Justice K M Kamrul Kader, who issued the Suo Moto (voluntary) rule regarding Jahlam, have no jurisdiction to deal with the ACC’s cases, ACC’s lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told reporters.
