ZCZC
BSS-14
ORDER-RULE-JAHA ALAM
Order on HC rule over compensating Jaha Alam on Sept 29
DHAKA, Sept 23, 2020 (BSS) – The High Court is scheduled to pass its order on a rule issued to compensate Jaha Alam, an innocent man that languished in jail for three years after getting wrongly implicated in 26 cases, on September 29.
A High Court division bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader is scheduled to pass the order as the matter was kept as first item on the cause list of September 29.
“I have seen it on the cause list. The matter has been kept to pass order on September 29,” Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said.
The matter was kept on CAV (curia advisory vault, a Latin legal term meaning the court awaits verdict) on February 12, after the end of hearing on that day.
The High Court last year issued the rule on its own initiative, asking as to why it shall not pass order to compensate Jaha Alam, who was thrown behind bars for three years in an identity mix-up.
A total of 33 cases were filed against one Abu Salek for misappropriating around Taka 18.5 crore of Sonali Bank. The ACC filed charge sheet in 26 of those cases, identifying Jaha Alam as Abu Salek.
Jaha Alam at that time went to ACC office and pleaded not guilty, saying he is not Abu Salek. His plea however, went unheard. Jaha Alam was arrested in the cases on February 6, 2016, and was being rotting in jail since then.
A national daily made a report on the sufferings of Alam and Supreme Court lawyer Amit Dasgupta drew court’s attention to that.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader on February 3, 2019, ordered to release Jaha Alam from jail, also asked to acquit Alam from 26 graft cases, where he was wrongly implicated.
He was release from jail the next day.
BSS/ASG/DA/MHR/QC/1545 hrs