Police to file rape case: HC

The High Court on Tuesday directed police not to wait for anybody to come and file a rape case and file it themselves on getting information instead.

At a hearing on the appeal for quashing a rape case, the High Court bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Mahmudul Haque also directed for quick medical test on the victim and DNA test of evidence.

The High Court directives came in wake of a slew of incidents of rape in the last few days.

The court directed the Home Secretary and Inspector General of Police to inform all the police stations across the country of the orders and take other relevant measures.

In a rule, it asked the government to explain why it should not be made legally binding to prepare a DNA profile of the evidences retrieved in the chargesheet of the rape cases.

The court in its ruling said that the evidences of a rape incident are not often preserved and recovered due to the negligence and inexperience of the police. The accused can easily be identified through the chemical test. The state will have to bear all the relevant cost including that of the DNA test.

A case was lodged at Sylhet Kotwali Model Police Station on Oct 9, over alleged violation of a female teacher of Ghasitola Majumderpara Nizam Ibne Dalil High School by the chief of the educational institution’s governing body, Nizamuddin.

The Investigation Officer of the case pressed charges in the court on Jan 13 this year. Later, the accused moved the High Court for annulment of the case.

After the hearing on the petition, the High Court ordered the Officer-In-Charge of that police station to send the evidence for a DNA test and submit the report to the trial court in two months.

The High Court also stayed the proceedings of the case until the submission of the report.

Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder stood for the state at the hearing while Advocate Rezina Mahmud argued for the petitioner.