CJ strips power of judge Kamrunnahar

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has directed judge Kamrunnahar of Dhaka’s Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 not to attend court.

The order has been implemented from 9:30am on Sunday as the CJ discussed the matter with other senior justices of the Supreme Court, says a press release signed by the Supreme Court spokesperson Saifur Rahman.

At the same time, the CJ temporarily stripped the power of judge Kamrunnahar in matters of criminal cases and withdrew her from her current position. The Supreme Court has also sent a letter to the law ministry to attach her with the law and justice division of the ministry.

Judge Kamrunnahar on 11 November directed the police not to accept any lawsuit 72 hours after rape. She came up with the directive while passing the verdict in a case filed on charges of rape of two university students in the city’s Raintree Hotel four years ago. The tribunal of judge Kamrunnahar also acquitted the five persons accused of committing rape.

Following the verdict, persons from different social strata, including university teachers and students, women's rights activists, professionals and artistes took to the streets on Thursday midnight in protest of the court’s directive to the police not to accept the lawsuits 72 hours after rape.

Law minister Anisul Huq on Saturday faced a volley of questions from journalists over the matter.

Addressing the media on the Supreme Court lawyers’ association premises, the minister said, “I want to state clearly that I don’t want to talk about the verdict now. But her observation that asked the police not to lodge any lawsuit 72 hours after rape, is completely illegal and unconstitutional.”

“That’s why I will write a letter to the CJ about her authority as judge on Sunday,” he added.