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The interim government is preparing to withdraw 11,448 “political harassment” cases filed against activists of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Hifazat-e Islam, following recommendations from an inter-ministerial committee headed by Law Advisor Asif Nazrul.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon, Nazrul brushed off accusations that the process was being delayed, reports bdnews24.com.
“Several political parties are accusing the government of dragging its feet on withdrawing ‘politically motivated’ cases,” he said. “These allegations are not based on facts.”
Nazrul added that the committee, formed on Sept 22 last year, has been holding regular sessions to examine case documents submitted by district-level bodies and the law ministry’s solicitor’s office.
According to an official press note, a total of 17,244 cases related to these three parties were submitted earlier this year.
Of those, 11,448 cases have already been recommended for withdrawal and the process remains ongoing.
To accelerate the process, political parties have been asked to submit all related documents, including first information reports (FIRs) and chargesheets where applicable, to the inter-ministerial committee.
The statement said the committee has already met 16 times and continues to review cases across districts.
The panel is tasked with vetting files to ensure only politically driven cases are withdrawn.
PARTY-WISE CASE STATUS
The press note said scope remains for political parties to submit more names for withdrawal consideration.
“To make the process more efficient, parties are allowed to send new lists of ‘politically motivated’ cases to the inter-ministerial committee,” it added.
The BNP submitted around 16,000 cases between Jan 10 and 14, while Jamaat handed in 1,200 cases on Apr 27.
Roughly half have already been cleared for withdrawal. But the rest remain under review due to missing documents.
“Neither party included all essential records, such as FIRs or chargesheets where applicable, which has slowed progress,” the note read.
The Hifazat-e Islam submitted 44 cases on May 20.
The government continues to insist that complaints about delays are “not based on evidence”.
WHO SITS ON THE COMMITTEES?
To identify cases filed against political activists and ordinary citizens “out of political retaliation or other grounds”, the caretaker administration has formed two separate committees -- one based in districts, the other at the ministerial level.
The district-level committee, led by the district magistrate, consists of four members.
The additional district magistrate serves as its member secretary, with the superintendent of police (or a deputy commissioner for metropolitan areas) and the public prosecutor (or the metropolitan public prosecutor for city cases).
The ministry-level committee, headed by the law advisor, consists of six members.
It includes the senior secretary of the Public Security Division under the home ministry, an additional secretary (law and order), a joint secretary (law), and a representative from the law ministry (not below the rank of joint secretary).