Finish trials in drugs cases in six months: HC

The High Court Division on Tuesday directed the lower courts to complete trials in drug offence cases within six months. 
A bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman also directed the lower court judges to report their failure to complete the trials within the stipulated time frame.
The bench directed the investigation officers of drug offence cases to produce witnesses on the schedules for recording depositions set by the trial courts.
It asked metropolitan police deputy commissioners for prosecution and the superintendents of police in the districts to monitor whether or not prosecution witnesses were produced on the schedules.
The bench directed the trial court judges to inform the metropolitan police DCs and the SPs if there was any negligence on the part of the investigation officers in producing the witnesses.
The bench asked the High Court Division’s criminal section officials to send copies of the directives to the law ministry and the registrar general of the Supreme Court.
The SC registrar general and the law ministry were asked to issue directives to the lower courts, the metropolitan police DCs, the SPs and the public prosecutors to enforce the ruling. 
The HC issued the directive as the Madaripur district and sessions judge Nuruzzaman failed to complete the trial of class 10 student Mizanur Rahman Baroi on the allegation of possessing 6,00 Yaba tablets in three years.
The bench granted six months’ bail to Mizanur Rahman and directed the trial court to complete his trial in next six months.
The bench found that trial of the case against Mizanur Rahman pending with the district and session judge’s court in Madaripur since August 2, 2016 as none of the seven prosecution witnesses were produced at 22 hearings in three years. 
Mizan’s lawyer Fazlur Rahman told New Age that the seven prosecution witnesses included five detective branch personnel. 
The bench rebuked deputy attorney general Farhad Ahmed over detention of the student for years due to the state’s failure to produce the witnesses at hearings. 
On December 1, 2015, DB police arrested Mizan at Takerhat Microbus stand in Madaripur district town allegedly for possessing Yaba tablets.
On September 8, 2016 the DB submitted charge sheet against him. 
On January 27, 2016, the trial court granted bail to Mizan until March 15, 2016 to allow him to appear in SSC examinations. 
On November 25, 2018, the police rearrested Mizan after the trial court cancelled his bail on February 25, 2017. 
Until now at least 40,000 alleged drug peddlers and addicts were arrested since a nation-wide anti-drug was launched in May 2018 and at least 306 ‘drug peddlers’ or ‘addicts’ were killed in ‘gunfights’ or were ‘found dead’.
But the authorities are not aware how many drug offence cases were put or trial or whether or not any case was disposed of.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net