Rashed Khan Menon shown arrested in teacher recruitment graft case

A Dhaka court ordered former minister and Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon to be shown arrested in a corruption case over alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment at Wills Little Flower School and College.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammad Shahjahan Kabir passed the order on Wednesday (July 8) after hearing an application filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

ACC Prosecutor Delwar Jahan Rumi confirmed the development.

According to court records, the case's investigating officer, ACC Assistant Director Mohammad Ferdous Rahman, sought to have Menon shown arrested on June 30, with the hearing scheduled for July 8.

The ACC filed the case on December 22 last year, accusing Menon and 19 others of manipulating the recruitment process to appoint 13 pre-selected candidates as teachers through fraud and procedural violations.

Investigators allege that an unauthorized recruitment board was formed without mandatory representatives from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) or subject experts. The case also alleges that applicants without the required NTRCA certification were allowed to participate, while a candidate who secured the highest marks in the written examination was denied the opportunity to attend the viva.

The ACC further claimed that appointment and joining letters were issued before the recruitment process had been formally completed.

Other accused include the institution's former principal, retired Lt Col Alamgir Hossain, former members of the governing body, teachers and several other officials linked to the recruitment process.

Menon has been in jail since August 22, 2024, following his arrest in multiple cases, including murder allegations linked to the July movement. He is also facing trial before the International Crimes Tribunal in a separate case.