SC orders action against ex-judge Faruk

Bangladesh's apex court has sent a report to the law ministry, asking it to take action against former Dhaka court judge Faruk Ahmmed, who allegedly resolved a number of cases ‘hastily’ before retiring. After media reports were run on Ahmmed, acting Chief Justice SK Sinha personally went to the Dhaka court last week and seized documents of several cases settled by the retired judge. Before retiring on June 26, Ahmmed, special district and sessions judge of a public safety court, allegedly delivered verdicts in 24 cases in 18 business days, a report by vernacular daily ‘Jugantor’ on Thursday claimed. He reportedly acquitted the accused in the cases. ‘It’s unusual [to resolve so many cases in such a short time],’ Supreme Court Registrar AKM Shamsul Alam said on Sunday. The acting chief justice seized the case documents on Thursday and a report was sent to the ministry as per his order. It reached the ministry on Sunday. ‘He (Ahmmed) has retired. So the report was sent to the law ministry to take legal actions against him,’ Alam said, explaining the procedure. According to the newspaper report, the former judge had recorded testimonies of all witnesses in 10 cases, examined them, and finished hearing the arguments – all in one day. He settled 20 cases within a span of four to 10 days after hearing them. The report claims Ahmmed had examined the accused before recording witness testimonies in violation of Bangladesh’s criminal code, according to bdnews24.com.