1,911 case dockets vanish from Chattogram court

There’s no trace of 1,911 case dockets or CDs of the Chattogram court. Lawyers say these dockets of various cases including murder, narcotics, smuggling and explosives are extremely crucial for the judicial procedure. Without the dockets, it will be difficult to prove these crimes in court.

Without finding the dockets, public prosecutor (PP) of Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan filed a general diary (GD) with the Kotwali Police Station in the city yesterday, Sunday.

It has been mentioned in the GD that the case dockets of 28 to 30 courts were stored at the Chattogram city public prosecutor’s office. Due to lack of space in the PP office, those 1,911 case dockets wrapped in polythene bags and then stored in a plastic satchel had been left on the hallway in front of the PP office since last 24 April of 2023.

The dockets were lost between 13 December and 31 December as the office was closed during this period for court’s recess. Despite extensive searches, no trace of the dockets could be found. An application is submitted to keep the incident registered as a general diary with the police station, the GD added further.

Public prosecutor Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo that he has no clue about who took away the CDs of 1,911 cases. In response to the question, why the crucial case dockets were left on the lobby for so long, he said, “It’s been only a few days since I took charge. There is no room available to store the dockets. A room had been requested. My office is piled up with documents already.”

Officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station Abdul Karim told Prothom Alo Sunday evening that the police are investigating the GD filed in connection to the incident of 1,911 case dockets that were kept in front of Chattogram City PP’s office going missing.

Chattogram city public prosecutor’s office is located on the second floor of the Chattogram Court building located at Kotwali Mor intersection. Next to the PP’s office are the courtroom and the chamber of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court. The courtrooms of other judges are also close by.

The court building bustles with the presence of lawyers and plaintiffs throughout the day. However, the security at the court building is supposed to be tightened from evening. Lawyers are stunned at the incident of 1,911 case dockets disappearing from the hallway in front of the PP’s office. They demand a proper investigation into the incident.

When asked, Chattogram District Bar Association president Nazim Uddin Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that CDs are highly crucial in judicial procedure. The CDs have to be submitted before the court along with the charge sheet. The investigation officer of the case documents the ongoing progress of the case on the CD.

When the investigation officer is changed, the new investigation officer also writes down the details on the same CD. And, they testify in court accordingly. If the CD is there, it becomes easier to give testimony in the court even after five to ten years. Otherwise, there is a risk of the case being damaged, he added.

Nazim Uddin Chowdhury also said that the incident of case dockets vanishing from a place like the court building is not a trifling matter. Who are involved behind these dockets going missing has to be found out. The accused might have done this to take advantage of this in the trial, he believes.