The bench comprising Justice Awlad Ali and Justice AFM A Rahman sent the case to the regular bench observing that the vacation bench had no scope for long hearing on the petition filed by some rights groups.

As a result of the court order, the September 29 HC injunction on blanket arrests under Section 86 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ordinance will remain valid until October 26 hearing for disposal of the petition.

Additional Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali yesterday told the court that a report had been submitted before the court complying with its April 27, 2004 ruling on "mass arrests." "The report did not find any illegal arrests or unlawful acts."

He said the police action was termed "mass arrests" by the news media. "It was not mass arrests, but propaganda of the media," he

added.

Dr M Zahir, counsel of the petitioners, said the court would examine the report. "Why the attorney general's office has examined it," he questioned.

Dr Zahir appealed to the court to ask the government to release the people arrested during the recent mass arrest drive.

Following a petition filed by some rights groups against the indiscriminate arrests ahead of the main opposition's grand rally in Dhaka, the HC on September 29 issued an injunction against the blanket arrests of opposition adherents and apolitical people alike under Section 86 of the DMP Ordinance until October 3.

The appellate division, however, modified the injunction that asked the government not to arrest any person under the section 86 unless he or she is found with arms or any dangerous house-breaking tools between sunset and sunrise without satisfactory reason.