Three executive magistrates dismissed on final day of training

The Ministry of Public Administration has dismissed three assistant commissioners (executive magistrates) who were undergoing basic training, according to a notification signed on Wednesday by Public Administration Secretary Ehsanul Hoque.

The dismissed officers are Kazi Arifur Rahman (Faridpur), Anup Kumar Biswas (Bogura), and Nabomita Sarker (Pirojpur). All three were probationary officers of the 43rd batch of BCS (Administration) cadre.

The notification stated that under Rule 6(2)(a) of the Bangladesh Civil Service Recruitment Rules, 1981, the government may terminate the appointment of probationers deemed unfit during their probation period without consulting the Public Service Commission (PSC). It added that any outstanding financial dues from them will be recovered under the Public Demands Recovery Act, 1913.

Officials confirmed the officers were dismissed on the very day they completed their basic training. The notification did not specify reasons for the dismissal.

For context, on October 22, the Home Ministry dismissed four probationary assistant superintendents of police (ASPs) of the same batch — Sher Shah, Shovon Kumar Biswas, Rowshan Jamil, and Ashfaq Ferdous.

Regarding dismissal of a civil servant, the Constitution's Article 135(2) stipulates that no civil servant shall be dismissed, removed, or reduced in rank without being given a reasonable opportunity to show cause against such action.

Sources noted that during recruitment for this batch, at least 67 candidates were dropped, and later, another 13 officers from different cadres were terminated while in service.

Two of the dismissed officers told The Daily Star they were not informed of any cause.

One of them said, "During student life, while staying in the dormitory, I had to join political rallies and meetings. If these are counted as disqualifications, then what can I say? My wife is pregnant, my father recently had a heart ring implant — you can understand the situation I'm in."

Commenting on the matter, Firoz Mia, writer and public administration expert, said that while dismissals under recruitment rules are legally permissible, such orders have often failed to hold up in court. "There is no bar to dismissing someone if there is a specific reason, but dismissing without stating any reason goes against the principles of justice. Those who have been dismissed can seek a remedy in court under the Constitution. I hope they will get justice."