Convicted by Mobile Courts: 121 children released from correction centre

A hundred and 21 children -- who were convicted by mobile courts in various drives and kept at the Children Development Centre in Gazipur -- were released on Monday, in line with a High Court directive.

Of them, 11 children aged below 12 were exempted from the cases filed against them. The rest -- aged between 12 and 18 -- were released on six months’ bail.

All the children were handed over to guardians around 9pm, said Ehiatuzzaman, superintendent of the centre.

Further decision on those released on bail will be taken following directives of the children’s court, he added.

On October 31, an HC bench ordered authorities concerned of the government to release the children following a news report published on a national daily that said mobile courts have illegally jailed 121 children for six-month to one-year and they have been kept at the Children Development Centre.

The HC bench also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain why their conviction by the mobile court should not be declared illegal.