Executive magistrates can run mobile court till Oct 10

Executive magistrates will be able to run mobile courts in the country till October 10 as the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the matter till that day, reports, BSS.

"Adjourned October 10," said the apex court full bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

The Appellate Division came up with the order accepting a time plea from the state.

Earlier on August 1, the apex court had allowed the state two weeks to run mobile courts by the executive magistrates.

The Appellate Division on July 4 had extended for two more weeks its stay on the High Court order that declared illegal the running of mobile courts by executive magistrates.

Earlier on May 21, the apex court extended the stay for the first time till July 2. The chamber judge of the Appellate Division on May 14 stayed the High Court order on 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.