‘Crimes by law enforcers’: 102 SC lawyers file petition for independent probe

A total of 102 Supreme Court lawyers today collectively filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking its directive on the government to constitute an independent commission to investigate allegations of crimes committed by law enforcers.

They submitted the 1,667-page petition -- including 1,522 pages of documents -- as a public interest litigation to the HC, saying that a section of law enforcers are reportedly involved in 18 types of crimes, including extrajudicial killing, rape, stalking, drug trading, torture, causing custodial deaths and enforced disappearances.

Citing the petition, their lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir told The Daily Star that 589 incidents of such offences have reportedly taken place between January 2017 and December 2020.

Since law enforcers themselves conduct inquiries into the allegations against them, the probes are not done fairly and neutrally, he said.

The lawyer said there are independent commissions in different countries including USA, UK, France, India, and Pakistan to conduct investigations into allegations against law enforcers.

The petitioners prayed to the HC to order the home secretary, law secretary, and inspector general of police to form the commission titled "Police Complaint Investigation Commission".

Shishir Manir said the HC is yet to set any date for hearing the petition.