High Court orders release of wrongfully imprisoned Arman, compensation
He has been in jail for nearly five years after the police wrongfully arrested him instead of the original accused in a drug case
The High Court has asked the authorities concerned to immediately release Md Arman, who has been languishing in Kashimpur Central Jail for nearly five years after the police wrongfully arrested him instead of the original accused in a drug case.
The court has also asked the authorities to pay Arman Tk20 lakh as compensation within 30 days. Besides, the court has ordered departmental action against four officials of the police, who were discharging duties under Pallabi police station when Arman was arrested.
The court has asked the home ministry, the law ministry and the inspector general of police to implement its verdict immediately.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The High Court bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim on Thursday issued the directive after declaring the rule issued in this regard earlier appropriate.
Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallob stood for the public interest litigation writ petition, while Deputy Attorney General Nawroj M Rassel Chowdhury represented the State in the court.
The High Court recently ordered the release of jute mill worker Jahalam, who spent three years in jail following his wrongful arrest over loan fraud and embezzlement from state-owned Sonali Bank.
A national daily on 18 April 2020 published a report titled "Another Jahalam in jail".
The report said innocent Arman was languishing in jail since 27 January 2016 instead of fugitive convict Shahabuddin Bihari who was sentenced to 10 years in absentia in a narcotic case. But the Pallabi police arrested innocent Arman, a technician at a Benarasi Palli in Mirpur, only for matching their father's names.
The Law and Life Foundation filed a writ petition in the High Court on behalf of a human rights organization attaching the report.
The High Court on 23 April 2019 issued a rule asking Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge to produce the documents of the case in which Arman was arrested before the court.
The court in its ruling also asked the government why Arman's detention should not be declared illegal, why he should not be released, why it should not be ordered to produce Arman in the High Court and why it should not be ordered to pay proper compensation.
The verdict was announced on Thursday after a final hearing on that rule.
