Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has called for submitting list of politically motivated harassment cases filed during the former Awami League regime from January 6, 2009, to August 5, 2024.

“Solicitor wing of the Law and Justice Division sent letters to public prosecutors and metropolitan public prosecutors across the country to this end on December 2,” law ministry spokesperson Dr Md Rezaul Karim told BSS.

Signed by deputy solicitor (GP-PP) Sana Md Mahruf Hossain, the letter has asked the public prosecutors to prepare the lists as per the table set by the ministry and send those to solicitor wing by December 17.

“Many harassment cases were filed against political leaders, activists and others between January 6, 2009 to August 5, 2024, especially before and after the national elections held in 2014, 2018, and 2024. Due to the lack of accurate and complete information regarding these cases, it is not being possible to take legal remedial action. So it is very important to obtain information on the cases as per the table mentioned in the letter on an urgent basis,” the letter said.

As per the letter, the government law officers were asked to prepare the list with the name of concerned district, court, case number, name and identification of the complainant, number of accused and number of unnamed accused (if there is any), date of the incident narrated in the complaint, under which section and act the concerned case was filed and which stage that case is in now.

“The public prosecutors and metropolitan public prosecutors were asked to exercise extreme caution in this regard. It is to be noted that the lists of those cases will be thoroughly scrutinized by the ministry,” Dr Karim said.

The ministry in the letters asked the public prosecutors to send the list to the address of Solicitor, Solicitor Wing, Law and Justice Division, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, Supreme Court Premises, or by email on solicitor@lawjusticediv.gov.bd .