High Court stays probe against 83 deportees for three months

The High Court has stayed the ongoing investigations against 83 Bangladeshi nationals, deported from Vietnam and Qatar, for the next three months.

A division bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order on Thursday.   

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua stood for the petition, while Deputy Attorney General Md Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state at the hearing.

Later, Jyotirmoy said that a petition was filed with the High Court to scrap all the proceedings of the general diary (GD) filed against the deportees with Turag Police Station.

After the hearing, the court has also issued a two-week rule asking the authorities to explain why the activities of the GD would not be scrapped.

The home and law ministries, police, and others concerned have been made respondents in the rule.

At the same time, the court stayed all the proceedings of the GD for the next three months, he added.

Earlier, a writ petition was filed on 13 September seeking the release of all 83 deportee workers, including 81 from Vietnam and two from Qatar.

Following the hearing of the writ petition, the High Court issued a rule on 21 September, asking the authorities to explain as to why 83 Bangladeshis would not be ordered to be released.

On 1 September, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder directed the 83 deportees to send to jail under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1898.

Later, police said that the deportees were in quarantine in the Uttara Diabari area of ​​the capital. But from there, they were trying to get to their respective homes.

Based on the evidence, they were arrested under Section 54. There were various criminal charges against the expatriates while they were abroad, said police.

So, they were sent back to Bangladesh on 18 August. After returning to the country, law-enforcers put them in quarantine.