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Published : 10 Jun 2026, 11:38 AM
Allegations of bribery, harassment or irregularities in public services can now be submitted directly to the chief metropolitan magistrate (CMM) of Chattogram through a newly introduced complaint mechanism.
A dedicated email address has been opened and a transparent complaint box has been installed outside the CMM's office.
On Monday, an administrative order introduced the complaint mechanism titled "To the CMM, Chattogram" to receive information on corruption, irregularities, abuse of power and unlawful activities in the interest of public accountability and citizen welfare.
The order was issued by CMM AGM Monirul Hasan Sarker in his capacity as a “Justice of the Peace” to help prevent abuse of authority, corruption, irregularities and harassment by government officials and employees within the Chattogram Metropolitan area.
A justice of the peace is an official empowered to take prompt decisions and necessary action to uphold law, order and the rule of law within a jurisdiction.
By virtue of their offices, Supreme Court judges exercise such authority across Bangladesh, while district and sessions judges, chief judicial magistrates and chief metropolitan magistrates exercise it within their respective jurisdictions.
The eight-point administrative order says a secure, sealed information and complaint box has been placed at an easily visible and accessible location outside the CMM courtroom.
Information, evidence, crime reports or complaints may also be sent to the CMM's official email address or to [email protected].
Any aggrieved citizen, litigant, public service recipient or lawyer may submit written complaints, information, evidence or supporting materials through the box or email.
Reportable Offenses
The administrative order lists the categories of complaints that fall within the scheme.
These are:
• Bribery, illegal financial benefits or unethical demands related to police verification reports or any other public service.
• Abuse of authority, corruption, irregularities or harassing conduct by government officials or employees within the metropolitan area.
• Fraud, influence-peddling or attempts to obtain unlawful benefits by using the name, position or identity of a court, judge, magistrate or any official working under the magistracy.
• Artificial delays or unethical demands in obtaining certified copies from court record sections, affidavits, General Record Office (GRO) services, file entries in various branches, or the dispatch and recall of court warrants.
• Unethical transactions or harassment linked to bail bond submission, verification of sureties, dispatch of release orders to prisons, or unlawful demands made in the name of influencing court proceedings or judicial outcomes.
• Illegal demands or undue delays in releasing seized evidence or vehicles from court custody following judicial orders.
• Institutional unlawful or unethical activities that adversely affect judicial administration, the environment, public safety, public interest or citizen services.
• Discriminatory treatment, unreasonable harassment, unethical pressure or actions that undermine citizens' rights while obtaining public services.
Complainants may attach supporting documents, photographs, audio or video recordings, electronic records, printed materials or other relevant evidence.
The key to the complaint box will remain in the personal custody of the CMM.
The order also says the identity of whistleblowers and complainants, along with the information they provide, will be protected as far as possible under existing laws and administrative limitations.
Operational Framework
The order makes clear the initiative is not an alternative to, replacement for or legal equivalent of the regular process for filing complaints.
Information received through this channel will not automatically serve as the sole or final basis for registering a criminal case or taking cognisance of an offence.
On receiving a complaint, the CMM will assess its nature, importance, credibility, relevance and legal admissibility before deciding on next steps.
The order says that, where appropriate, the CMM may take further administrative or legal measures under existing laws.
These may include:
• Referring matters to the relevant administrative or departmental authority for action.
• Initiating preliminary administrative verification or inquiries through internal or competent authorities.
• Informing the police administration, the Anti-Corruption Commission, ministries, divisions or other law-enforcing agencies so they can take legal action.
The order warns that anyone submitting false, malicious or deliberately misleading allegations out of personal hostility, ill intent or vengeance may face legal consequences under existing laws.
Matters Outside Jurisdiction
Disputes over land and criminal offences for which regular legal remedies already exist through police stations or courts will remain outside the scope of the complaint system.
The order says the initiative is designed solely to prevent institutional corruption, irregularities and harassment, and therefore several categories of issues will not be covered.
These include:
• Private civil disputes such as land ownership, possession, inheritance, contractual obligations, debts, family matters or marital disputes.
• Ordinary criminal disputes or offences for which existing laws provide for filing a first information report (FIR) with a police station or a complaint case before a court.
• Applications intended to influence the merits or outcome of any pending case, appeal, revision, reference or other ongoing judicial proceeding.
• Requests seeking relief or reconsideration against judicial orders, judgments, decrees or decisions where separate appellate or revision forums already exist under the law.
Copies of the order have also been sent to the commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), the director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the president and general secretary of the district bar association.
All police stations, detective units and verification branches under the CMP commissioner have been instructed to comply with the order and ensure that no such complaints arise against their personnel.
