All political cases, except rape to be withdrawn: Law Minister

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said on Tuesday that the government would withdraw all kinds of politically motivated cases, except rape cases, if the applications meet the prescribed procedures and pass through the government’s screening process.

“Any kind of case, except rape one, can be withdrawn if it is political in nature and passes through our screening process. Even murder cases will be withdrawn if they are found to be politically motivated. There will be no room for ifs and buts,” he said.

The minister said these while replying to a supplementary question from treasury bench lawmaker Zainul Abdin Farroque (Noakhali-2) during the day’s question-answer session in the Jatiya Sangsad.

He urged political leaders and activists facing cases to submit applications for withdrawal in the prescribed format, assuring that the government would consider them through due process.

“If anyone has a case against them, I request them to submit an application for withdrawal as soon as possible. We will take steps to withdraw the case following the proper procedure,” he said.

Referring to former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and BNP Chairman and incumbent Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said they had never applied for the withdrawal of their cases and instead pursued legal remedies through the courts.

He said the government had sought to ensure that politically motivated cases were resolved through the appropriate legal and administrative procedures.

Responding to another supplementary question from opposition lawmaker Md. Keramat Ali (Chapainawabganj-1) about huge  number of pending cases and the shortage of judges in Chapainawabganj district, the minister said some 394 judicial posts were currently vacant in different parts of the country.

“We have already taken appropriate initiatives to fill these vacant posts, and we hope to overcome the shortage,” he said.

The minister explained that the government had identified three categories of cases in the withdrawal process.

Cases at the final report stage, where police had not submitted charge sheets, had largely received final reports after the July  Uprising on August 5. Cases in which charge sheets had been submitted but witness testimony had not begun were being considered for withdrawal.

The minister said the government had encouraged political leaders and activists facing cases to apply through the prescribed process, as a case could not automatically be identified as political merely from its filing documents.