Why not reopen Lakehead Grammar School, asks High Court

The High Court has issued a rule asking why it would not allow the Lakehead Grammar School authorities to reopen the school that was closed down on Tuesday on charges of harbouring militancy and inspiring extremism.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 9 Nov 2017, 04:52 PM
Updated : 9 Nov 2017, 04:52 PM

Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan issued the rule on Thursday upon two petitions filed by owner of the school, Khaled Hasan Matin, and 12 guardians.

The rule asks why the order closing down the Gulshan and Dhanmondi branches of the school would not be declared illegal and why the defendants would not be ordered to allow the school authorities to resume their activities.

It also asked why it would not allow the students of the school to continue study.

The respondents are the education secretary, home secretary, joint secretary to the Ministry of Education, Dhaka deputy commissioner, and, chairman of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka.

On the State’s plea, the court decided to hear the matter on Sunday again.

Former attorney general AF Hasan Arif, on behalf of the guardians, told the court the school has been abruptly closed down.

If anyone from this school is involved in militancy, then they can be put on trial, he said.

He asserted that the students’ education was now at stake. “Where will they go now? How will they continue their education? They just cannot close down the school without notice.”

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, who argued for the State, said the school was closed down after the allegations of propagating religious extremism were found true in investigations.

To this, one of the judges said: “Then arrest all the students who are militants. All of them cannot suffer for one or two. Where will they get admitted now?

“Their exams need to be held.”

On Monday, the education ministry ordered the Dhaka district administration to close down the school.

The next day, a police team led by a magistrate shut down the school’s branches in Dhanmondi and Gulshan.

An official at the education ministry told bdnews24.com that the government probed some directors and teachers of the school after receiving complaints over their militancy links.

The investigators found the allegations true, the official said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media over the issue.

"Some people involved with the school have been detained by the police," he added.