Show cause on judge for hanging case for 6yrs

The High Court today issued a show cause notice against the judge of Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 in Dhaka for failing to dispose of a murder case in more than six years.

According to Speedy Trial Tribunal Act, a case has to be settled in 135 working days after the trial begins.

The HC asked the tribunal judge, Momtaz Begum, to explain in two weeks why she failed to dispose of the case in 135 days.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice ABM Hassan fixed August 14 to pass further order on this issue.

Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir told The Daily Star that the HC issued the notice against the tribunal's judge while hearing a bail petition filed by an accused in the murder case.

Accused Abdur Rashid who has been suffering for six years and seven months in jail in connection with the killing case filed the bail petition yesterday. He sought bail over the delayed trial proceedings in the case.

The murder case was filed after a vegetable trader, Harun-or-Rashid, was killed in Mymensingh on February 12, 1990.

Over 19 years after the murder, Ministry of Home Affairs sent the case to the tribunal on October 19, 2009. But the tribunal is yet to finish trial proceedings of the case. The tribunal recorded statements of only 26 witnesses out of 78 witnesses, DAG Kabir said.