Appellate Division upholds HC verdict on statuses of 2,367 freedom fighters

The Supreme Court has upheld a verdict which declared the government's order to cancel gazette notification of 2,367 freedom fighters as illegal.

CPB Adviser Manjurul Ahsan Khan (middle), who was the commander of the second batch of the NAP-Communist Party-Chhatra Union Guerrilla Force, is seen in this photo taken from his family album CPB Adviser Manjurul Ahsan Khan (middle), who was the commander of the second batch of the NAP-Communist Party-Chhatra Union Guerrilla Force, is seen in this photo taken from his family album

Government order cancelling gazette of 2,367 freedom fighters illegal, says High Court

The four-member appeals bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on Tuesday scrapped the State's plea to stay the order.

In October 2014, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs cancelled the list of 2,367 names.

The same year, NAP-Communist Party-Chhatra Union Guerrilla Force's Deputy Commander Pankaj Bhattacharya challenged the decision in the High Court.

Activists of leftist bodies, NAP, Communist Party and Chhatra Union formed a Guerrilla Force in 1971 War of Independence, after which the then East Pakistan emerged as the sovereign country of Bangladesh.

Members of this force formally surrendered their arms at the Dhaka Stadium to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Jan 30, 1972.

The force's deputy commander Pankaj said wartime government as well the Bangabandhu’s post-war government had recognised members of their force as freedom fighters.