The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today dismissed a plea of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to stay proceedings of a case to compensating Jaha Alam, an innocent that languished in jail for three years after getting wrongly implicated in 26 cases.
A four-member Apex Court bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed the plea as it found no merit behind the petition.
The High Court earlier issued a rule on its own initiative asking as to why it shall not pass order to compensate Jaha Alam, who was thrown behind bars for three years in an identity mix-up.
The anti-graft body however, on April 21, filed the plea seeking a stay on the High Court proceedings, saying the High Court bench has no jurisdiction to hear the case.
“The High Court bench now has no legal barrier to hold hearing on the rule,” Advocate Amit Dasgupta, who moved the case for Jaha Alam, told newsmen.
A total of 33 cases were filed against one Abu Salek for misappropriating around Taka 18.5 crore of Sonali Bank. The ACC filed charge sheet in 26 of those cases, identifying Jaha Alam as Abu Salek.
Jaha Alam at that time went to ACC office and pleaded not guilty, saying he is not Abu Salek. His plea however, went unheard. Jaha Alam was arrested in the cases on February 6, 2016, and was being rotting in jail since then.
A national daily made a report on the sufferings of Alam and Supreme Court lawyer Amit Dasgupta drew court’s attention to that.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader on February 3, ordered to release Jaha Alam from jail, also asking to acquit Alam from 26 graft cases, where he was wrongly implicated.
He was released from jail the next day.