HC orders departmental action against principal, hostel super
The High Court has ordered to take departmental action against the principal and hostel superintendent of Murari Chand (MC) College for negligence over the sensational gang rape incident in Sylhet on 25 September last year.
The HC bench of justice Md Mojibur Rahman Mia and justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order today, Wednesday.
The law secretary, vice-chancellor and registrar of the National University have been ordered to implement the HC order.
After an investigation, the probe body formed by the court in October last year found negligence by the hostel superintendent Jibon Krishna Acharya and the security guards of the college dormitory behind the rape incident.
The probe body assessed that the principal Saleh Ahmed being chief of the college could not avoid the responsibility of the incident in any way.
On 25 September, a group of ruling party student wing Chhatra League activists picked a married couple from Tilagarh area of South Surma in Sylhet and brought them to the college dormitory, and beat them up both. Later, they tied up the husband and raped the wife in front of him.
Later, husband of the victim filed a rape case against nine culprits, naming six of them. The incident sparked public anger as it had happened at the closed educational institution during the coronavirus-induced general holidays. Police detained the accused persons one after another.
A Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Misbah Uddin, citing news reports on the rape case, brought the matter to the court’s cognizance at the end of September last year.
The HC bench led by justice Md Mojibur Rahman Mia issued a suo moto rule on 29 September to form a judicial probe body to investigate the role of the college authorities.
The probe body submitted its report to the court on 20 October.
The HC bench concluded hearing on the rule on 11 March this year and kept the issue on CAV (Curia Advisari Vult, a Latin term that suggests reserving of judgement until a later time).
The rule issued in this regard was granted today, Wednesday.
Lawyer Mohammad Misbah Uddin stood for the writ petition in the court while deputy attorney general Nowroz Md Rasel Chowdhury was on behalf of the state.