Brac Bank ordered to compensate Jaha Alam Tk 5 lakh in 7 days
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today (August 29, 2022) ordered Brac Bank Ltd to give Tk 5 lakh to jute mill worker Jaha Alam in seven days, who had been wrongly imprisoned for three years in place of the real accused in several corruption cases.
Chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order during a hearing of leave to appeal petition filed by Brac Bank Ltd challenging the High Court verdict that directed the bank authorities to pay Tk 15 lakh in compensation to Jaha Alam.
The apex court chamber judge also stayed the HC verdict and sent the leave to appeal petition to its full bench for hearing the matter on October 31.
If Brac Bank authorities fail to give Tk 5 lakh to Jaha Alam in seven days, the stay order on the HC verdict will be upheld, Justice Enayetur Rahim said in the order.
Lawyers M Asaduzzaman and Anisul Hasan appeared for Brac Bank while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan argued for the Anti-Corruption Commission during hearing the leave to appeal petition.
On September 30, 2020, the HC directed Brac Bank Ltd to pay Tk 15 lakh in compensation to Jaha Alam as two of its officials -- Faisal Kayes and Sabina Sharmin -- supplied the photo and information of Jaha Alam, instead of the real accused Abu Salek, to the investigation officers of the ACC.
The ACC investigation officers then identified Jaha Alam and implicated him in the corruption cases, the HC observed.
After receiving the full text of HC verdict, Brac Bank recently filed the leave to appeal petition with the SC challenging the HC verdict.