Every accused cannot be kept in bar fetters: HC

A High Court has directed that every accused cannot be kept in the bar fetters except for the top terrorists, militants and criminals. The court also asked the authorities concerned to follow strictly the guideline given by the Home Ministry in this regard.

An HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah passed the order on Tuesday, responding to a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Kayser Kamal On January 16.

Earlier on January 15, Kayser Kamal placed a report published on the daily Prothom Alo (January 14) on the incident of imposing bar fetters on Md Nazmul Mridha, a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader of Patuakhali, in bar fetters while he was attending his father's namaz-e-janaza.

The HC bench asked the lawyer to file a writ petition in this regard saying that "If such incidents take place one after another, we may turn into an uncivilised nation."
According to the news report, Nazmul, joint convener of Patuakhali's Mirzaganj upazila JCD, was arrested on December 20 last year in connection with a case filed under the explosive substances act.

The court concerned ordered his release from jail on parole from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on January 13 to attend his father's janaza.

His father Md Motaleb Hossain Mridha died on the night of January 12 while he was receiving treatment in Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.

Police unlocked his handcuff but kept him in bar fetters during the janaza at Subid Ali village in Mirzaganj around 3:00pm on January 13. After the janaza, the accused was taken back to prison, the report said.