The top court views his remark that the involvement of victim Nazrul Islam’s father-in-law should be investigated is a threat and in clear violation of its order that amounted to contempt.
The bench of justices Md Rezaul Haque and Gobinda Chandra Tagore asked Attorney General Mahbubey Alam to deal with the issue.
It asked Alam whether it would give necessary order on the matter or the state’s top lawyer would see to it.
“I can do it,” Alam replied. “You don’t need to issue an order. Telling me is enough.”
A committee, formed at the court’s order, is investigating the abduction and murder of seven men, including Narayanganj City councillor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar.
Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam, popularly known as Shahid Chairman, on May 3 claimed RAB had taken Tk 60 million in bribes to perpetrate the crime.
The bench of justices Haque and Tagore issued a suo moto ruling two days later for formation of a seven-strong committee to look into the incident.
It also asked authorities to keep RAB off the investigation.
The committee submitted its primary report on Thursday.
Quoting a newspaper article, the court said an indirect threat has been issued by saying Shahid Chairman would be made an accused.
The court feared that no neutral witness will come forward if that happened.
One of the judges wondered, “This Shahid Chairman revealed the truth and he’s been threatened!”
Shahid on Thursday claimed RAB was threatening him.
On May 12, in an interview with vernacular daily ‘Jugantar’, Col Ahsan said they were probing whether Nazrul’s father-in-law was involved with the seven-murder.
Shahidul had hit back at Ahsan saying RAB had helped prime suspect Nur Hossain flee to Kolkata to shield its former officers.
Justice Tagore recalled the bench’s order to this end.
“We gave a specific order that RAB cannot get involved with the investigation. But the RAB officer has said they’d probe whether Nazrul’s father-in-law was involved with the incident.
“It is tantamount to contempt of the court. Shahid Chairman is the first person to speak the truth with courage.
“With the statement [by Col Ahsan] Shahid Chairman, one of the key witnesses in the case, is being indirectly threatened,” said Tagore.
The attorney general agreed with the court’s observation.
The court said the RAB official had threatened the witness. “A threat to make Nazrul’s father-in-law prime accused, who will testify after that?”
“RAB is a law-enforcing agency. What is there to lose if there is no RAB considering the government’s image? Is RAB needed now in that area? People will depose without fear if its not there.”
The court also said an organisation cannot be held to account for the misdeed of one or two people.
After this High Court bench ordered the government to form the probe team, slain lawyer Chandan Sarkar’s son-in-law Bijay Kumar Pal and two others had moved another bench with a petition.
The second bench on May 11 had ordered arrest of the three former RAB officers.
The state minister for home has said their arrests are ‘under process’ even after four days have passed since the court order.
On Thursday, Bijay Kumar Pal and the lawyer for other petitioners, Subrata Chowdhury,also spoke at the hearing.
Chowdhury read out the last part of the order issued on May 11 where the court said this petition was transferred to the bench of justices Md Rezaul Haque and Gobinda Chandra Tagore.
The bench said it acknowledged the transfer.