The High Court (HC) has asked Sultana Razia, executive magistrate and assistant commissioner (land) of Atpara upazila in Netrakona, to submit a written explanation over the jail sentence to two children. The AC land was directed to submit the explanation to the High Court by August 26.
The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order on Thursday (August 5).
Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, a lawyer of the Supreme Court, took part in the hearing in the court on behalf of the application in this regard, while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.
Advocate Shishir Manir said that the HC has sought an explanation from Sultana Razia over the sentencing of two children through conducting a mobile court in Atpara upazila of Netrakona. “The district magistrate sought an explanation from the executive magistrate. I sought direction from the High Court so that a copy of the explanation will be submitted to the HC. Then the court issued the order,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday (August 1), Sultana Razia conducted a mobile court in Atpara upazila and sentenced two 15-year-olds to one month’s imprisonment for getting married. The two children were sentenced to one-month imprisonment by the mobile court under the Child Marriage Restraint Act.
On Wednesday (August 4), the High Court scrapped the jail sentence and ordered the authorities concerned to immediately release the two children. The two children were later released on the day.
The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order after Advocate Shishir Manir sent a letter to the judge following a newspaper report over jail in this regard.
The lawyer in his letter mentioned that the jail sentence by the mobile court is out of jurisdiction as per a judgement delivered by the High Court in 2019. Awarding such imprisonment is also violation of related article of country’s Constitution and the related provision of the Supreme Court Rules.
