High Court halts rape case against four minor boys in Barishal

The High Court has ordered a halt on proceedings of a case against four minor boys, who were accused of raping a 6-year-old girl in Barishal’s Bakerganj.

The court has also ordered the OC of Bakerganj Police Station to ensure security of the four boys and their families.

It has set Nov 22 for the delivery of the verdict on whether the law was violated while recording the case against the children and whether they were unlawfully sent to Jashore Adolescent Development Centre.

The panel of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the orders on Sunday after hearing the statements of the four boys, their parents and the local officials related to the case.

The judges decided to hear from them in person instead of a virtual hearing after they appeared in the court in the morning following a previous order.

The court reprimanded Judicial Magistrate Enayet Ullah, Bakerganj Police Station OC Abul Kalam and Sub-Inspector Bashir Uddin Khan, who is the children affairs officer at the station, and other officials for recording the case and arresting the children.

The police arrested aged 10 to 11 years on Oct 6 after the filing of the case. They were sent to Jashore Juvenile Development Centre following Magistrate Enayet’s orders the following day.  

The High Court justices ordered the authorities to hand the four children to their families after seeing the news on TV last Thursday. The officials took the children to their families the following day.

Besides staying the case proceedings, the judges had also issued a set of rules asking the authorities why their action against the four children should not be declared illegal and beyond their jurisdiction, said Deputy Attorney General Nawroz Md Rasel Chowdhury.