No legal bar for mobile courts to operate for now

The government has secured permission to open an appeal against a High Court order that declared illegal the operations of mobile courts by executive magistrates.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 Jan 2018, 08:31 AM
Updated : 16 Jan 2018, 08:31 AM

The High Court order will be on hold until the government’s appeals are disposed of.

A five-member appellate bench led by acting Chief Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah granted the government permission on Tuesday to open an appeal.

It means there is no legal bar over the operations of mobile courts for now, said state counsels.

Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam and Abdul Matin Khasru were present at the hearing at the Appellate Division.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Additional Attorney General Murad Reza represented the state.

File Photo

Barrister Hasam MS Azim argued for the writ petitioner.

The state filed three petitions seeking ‘leave to appeal’ the High Court order. The Appellate Division granted them all and asked the government to submit a summary of the appeals in three weeks, Murad Reza toldbdnews24.com.

The apex court will hear the appeals on Feb 13. An appeal from the Drug Administration against mobile courts will be heard the same day.

Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das declared illegal the operations of mobile courts by executive magistrates on May 11after finishing a final hearing on the rules issued in 2011 and 2012 on three writ petitions.

The High Court verdict described 11 sections of Mobile Court Act 2009 as illegal and unconstitutional and contradictory to the freedom of judiciary.