Pirojpur judge transferred for ‘rude’ behaviour: Law Minister

Law Minister Anisul Huq said Pirojpur District and Sessions Judge Md Abdul Mannan has been withdrawn (stand released) for ‘his rude and indecent behaviour’.

The Minister came up with the statement at a press briefing at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital on Wednesday.

He said, “Pirojpur District and Sessions Judge Md Abdul Mannan was stand released as he did very impolite and rude behaviour with lawyers during the hearing on a bail petition of the District Awami League president and former lawmaker AKMA Awal and his wife.”

 "He was transferred instantly to deal with an untoward situation arose there,” the Minister said.

On Tuesday, Judge Md Abdul Mannan ordered to send District Awami League president and former lawmaker of Pirojpur-1 constituency (Pirojpur-Nazirpur-Nesarabad) AKMA Awal and his wife Laila Parveen to jail rejecting their bail pleas in three graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Judge Abdul Mannan was tranferred (stand release) just after an hour through an order by the Ministry of Law in Dhaka.

The incident has created a lot of hue and cry. In such a situation, the law ministry has convened a press briefing to explain the situation.

The Law Minister said Awami League president and his wife went to the Pirojpur District and Sessions judge to seek bail. When the bail was sought, the judge made very impolite and rude' behaviour with their lawyers. In such a situation, all the lawyers of Pirojpur Bar instantly decided to boycott the court.

"As a hue and cry was going on inside the courtroom there, people came out and took to the street. In order to control the situation, the Ministry of Law ordered to transfer (stand release) the judge immediately," he said.

Anisul Huq said, “Let me say about one thing clearly. It's the jurisdiction of the court to grant or reject bail. But, if the court creates an untoward situation making something undesirable, then question arises whether the law and order are properly maintained or not. In light of that situation, steps have been taken. In order to calm down the situation, bail was granted to Pirojpur District AL President and his wife later on. I don't think any deviation from the rule of law has taken place here.”

Asked whether an accused could put pressure on the court creating an untoward situation inside the courtroom, Anisul Huq said he doesn't want to talk about the merit of the case.  “Only FIR has been filed [in the case]. No chargesheet has been submitted yet. The High Court granted him an anticipatory bail. It was challenged and he went to the Appellate Division, where it was rejected. I don't want to talk about the merit or demerits of the case.”

“What I want to say that such an untoward situation would not have arisen, if this person (judge Abdul Mannan) had not misbehaved with the lawyers inside the courtroom,” he said.

Dhaka/Naymuddin/AKA