Judge withdrawn to ease volatile situation: Law minister

Law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister Anisul Huq on Wednesday said the district and sessions judge of Pirojpur was withdrawn to ease volatile situation created after the former lawmaker AKM Abdul Awal was sent to jail on Tuesday.

Anisul Huq said this at a media briefing at his secretariat office in the capital, a law ministry press release said.

Pirojpur district and sessions judge Md Abdul Mannan on 3 March passed an order to send former Awami League lawmaker AKM Abdul Awal and his wife Lyla Parvin to jail in a graft case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Law minister said the district judge behaved very rudely and inappropriately with Abdul Awal's lawyers and bar lawyers. Following this the bar lawyers decided to boycott the court and people took to the street. The judge was withdrawn to control the situation.

Anisul Huq also said it is the jurisdiction of the court whether to grant bail or not. But actions need to be taken if the court creates such a situation or behaves in a way that makes upholding rule of law questionable. Actions have been taken in this context. No rule of law has been violated here, the minister said.

Abdul Awal is also the president of ruling party’s Pirojpur district unit.

"I don't want to talk about the merit of the suit. No charge sheet of this case except the FIR has been submitted. The High Court has given him (Abdul Awal) interim bail. The Appellate Division cancelled the petition that challenged the bail order," he said.

The minister also said, "This situation would not have been created had this district judge not behaved with the bar lawyers the way he did. He did not behave reasonably."

He said, "You are watching that the rule of law is being ensured in the country. But I must take actions that I should in a given situation. Whether the person was a ruling party man or of the opposition camp was not considered. The action was taken so that the situation does not deteriorate."