The High Court has summoned the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) for not complying with its directive over recruitment of doctors to vacant posts in the prisons of the country.
The court asked him to appear before it on January 24 for an explanation.
The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Quader and Justice Mohammad Ali issued the order on Tuesday (January 17) following a writ petition filed by Advocate JR Khan Robin.
Advocate JR Khan Robin argued for the writ petition in the court, while Deputy Attorney General Barrister Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar represented the state.
On December 13, the same HC bench ordered the government authorities concerned to appoint doctors to the vacant posts in all prisons across the country. The HC bench ordered the appointment of 48 doctors to the vacant posts in the prisons of the country.
Secretary of the Home Ministry, Secretary of the Health Ministry, Inspector General of Police (prisons) were directed to comply with the order by January 7.
However, the health authorities did not take any initiative in this regard although HC ordered the speedy appointment of doctors in the remaining vacant posts..
On September 21 last year, it was reported to the court that 112 doctors had been appointed in 68 prisons in the country against a total of 141 posts. At that time, the HC ordered the speedy appointment to the remaining vacancies.
The jail authorities reported to the court in November 2019 that there were only 10 doctors against 141 posts in 68 prisons. After seeing the report, the High Court ordered the appointment of doctors in the prisons.
Lawyer JR Khan Robin said that in an order on June 23 in 2019, the court issued a rule ordering the submission of the list of the capacity of prisoners, the number of prisoners and doctors and the vacancies of doctors in all prisons across the country. According to that order, the Inspector General of Prisons gave a report.
Following the hearing of the ruling in this regard, the court ordered the appointment of doctors in the prisons across the country