5 directives by HC to confirm plaintiff’s identity
Ekramul, 55, filed a writ petition in the High Court on 7 June seeking directions to find out the plaintiff involved in the “false” cases.
The High Court has given five directives to ensure the identity of the plaintiff while filing a statement or complaint at the police station or court-tribunal.
A virtual high court bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order on 14 June after the preliminary hearing of a writ petition. The full order was published on the Supreme Court website on Wednesday.
The directives are-
The plaintiff's National Identity Card (NID) number or passport number in some cases has to be mentioned in the complaint/ statement.
In case the plaintiff does not have a NID card, he or she has to mention the NID number of a person who can identify the plaintiff.
If the NID card or passport number is not readily available in special circumstances, the concerned police officer will take other appropriate measures at their discretion to ascertain the identity of the complainant.
In case of filing a complaint in a court or tribunal, if the plaintiff does not have a NID card or passport, the concerned lawyer will identify the plaintiff.
If the plaintiff is an expatriate or a foreign national, the passport number has to be mentioned.
Previously, Ekramul Ahsan, a resident and businessman of Shantibagh in the capital, had to spend 1,465 days in jail in 20 cases filed in 13 districts of the country on charges of rape, beating, theft and human trafficking. He has 49 such cases against him.
Ekramul, 55, filed a writ petition in the High Court on 7 June seeking directions to find out the plaintiff involved in the "false" cases. The High Court ruled on 14 June a preliminary hearing of the writ petition.
The Additional Inspector General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was directed to identify the persons involved in the harassment cases against the writ petitioner and report to the court within 60 days and take necessary legal action. At the same time, the court gave a directive to provide the NID card of the plaintiff while filing cases.
Senior lawyer Zainul Abedin and lawyer Emadul Haque Bashir appeared for the writ petition. Deputy Attorney General Arvind Kumar Roy and Bipul Bagmar represented the state at the hearing.