Mobile courts to run for 2 weeks more

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday extended for two more weeks the stay on the High Court (HC) order that declared illegal running mobile courts by executive magistrates, reports BSS.

"Adjourned for two weeks and stay," said a seven-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

The apex court came up with the order as the state represented by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam pleaded for four weeks time in the case.

Earlier on May 21, the apex court extended the stay for the first time till July 2.

The chamber judge court of the Appellate Division on May 14 stayed the High Court order May 21, sending the matter to Appellate Division`s regular bench for further hearing.

On May 11, the High Court passed the initial order, pronouncing some 14 sections and sub-sections of the concerned act unconstitutional.

A High Court division bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das passed the order, declaring absolute the rule issued earlier in this regard.

The court came up with the order after holding hearing on writ petitions filed by three people who were earlier convicted by mobile courts.

"The court ordered to cancel their sentences and refund Taka 10 lakh realised from one of them as fine within 90-day of receiving the copy of this judgment," Barrister Hassan MS Azim, counsel for the petitioners, told the newsmen on that day.

"From now on, the government cannot run mobile courts by executive magistrates. The government has to amend the law or formulate a new law if it wants to run mobile courts," he had added.