Reinstate 1,447 Ansar members

The High Court yesterday directed the government to reinstate to service some of the 1,447 Ansar members who were dismissed following the Ansar mutiny in 1994.

The Ansars, who can demonstrate physical fitness and are of service age, will be reinstated within four months following the HC order.

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Additionally, the government will provide pension and other relevant facilities to those Ansars whose retirement ages have already expired, the court said.

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Badruzzaman came up with the verdict after hearing two separate writ petitions filed by the 1,447 dismissed Ansars.

The Ansars, in the petition, said they gained acquittal from the competent court at different times in the case filed following the Ansar mutiny.

The petitioners said that they applied to the authorities concerned of the government in 2000 for reinstating their services but the authorities did not do so.

According to private news agency UNB, hundreds of Ansar members stood in rebellion against the authorities in 1994 raising different demands.

The mutiny was controlled with the help of army interference.

Following the incident, a case was filed against 2,696 Ansar members leading to their termination.

Later in the trial proceedings, a large number of Ansar men were acquitted of the mutiny charges, and 1,447 of them filed petitions with the High Court seeking their jobs back.

Advocate Syed Jahangir Hossain appeared for the petitioners.