\\\'Operation Clean Heart\\\' indemnity act scrapped

The High Court (HC) on Sunday scrapped the indemnity act that legitimated all actions taken under the Operation Clean Heart, terming it conflicting with the Constitution. A 2-member bench of the apex court of Bangladesh, comprising Justice Moynul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashraful Kamal, passed the order after settling the rule issued in reply to a writ petition. On July 29, the HC issued a rule upon the government to explain within six weeks why the Joint Drive Indemnity Act, 2003, should not be declared unconstitutional and cancelled. The court also asked to explain why the authorities concerned should not be ordered to create a one billion taka (Tk100 crore) fund to compensate the Operation Clean Heart victims. Secretaries to ministries of law, home and defense, army chief and inspector general of police were made respondents to the rule. During the BNP-Jamaat alliance government tenure, joint force had carried out the countrywide operation naming ‘Operation Clean Heart’ taking place from October 16, 2002, till January 9, 2003. Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna, on June 14 in 2012, filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the Joint Drive Indemnity Act, 2003, according to a news agency.

- biplab