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Published : 27 Jan 2014, 12:37 PM
Biranganas are the women, who were violated during the war against Pakistan in 1971.
The bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Md Habibul Gani issued the rule on Monday after the preliminary hearing of a petition.
It also asked why the Birangananas would not be accorded privileges that the freedom fighters receive.
Secretaries of law, finance, Liberation War affairs and Parliament secretariat and the Chairman of the Law Commission have been asked to come up with explanations within four weeks.
The HC issued two rules as to why a gazette notification would not be published by Mar 26 and why will the state's not providing privileges to the 'Biranganas' for the last 42 years not be declared illegal.
Advocate Salma Ali, Chairman of Bangladesh National Female Lawyers' Association filed the petition in the High Court.
"Most of Biranganas live on the outskirts," Faozia Karim Firoz, a lawyer for the petitioners, told bdnews24.com.
"They are not aware that they can at least be acknowledged for their sacrifices during the war. The state has never done anything for them except calling a couple of them to Victory or Independence Day functions," she said.
Deputy Attorney General Md Mokhlesur Rahman, who argued on behalf of the state, said the defendants named in the petition have been ordered to respond to the rule within four weeks.
Bangladesh has acknowledged role of men in the fight for freedom but failed to honour scores of women who had been sexually abused by the enemy, said the petition.
Therefore, the women are the sole-bearers of the horror they faced during 1971 with no one to share their woes, it added.
"They are our pride. But they are still living uncertain lives. We are very late in acknowledging them, and can't afford any more delay," he said.
The present government was working to revive the ideals of the Liberation War, he said. "So it is time the country redeemed its debts to the Biranganas."
