Violation of HC order: Madaripur judicial magistrate summoned

The High Court has summoned a senior judicial magistrate of Madaripur for continuing trial proceedings of a dowry case despite the court's stay order.

Magistrate KM Alamgir Hossain was directed to appear before the court on March 10 to explain in writing why he did that despite HC's stay order on the trial proceedings, said Deputy Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman Monir.

The HC bench of Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order during hearing of a petition filed by Md Abdul Wadud Akanda, the accused in the dowry case, challenging the trial proceedings of the case.

The court also summoned Wadud Akanda, a consular at the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi.

Wadud, a man from Mymensingh, married Zarin Rafa Milanti from Kishoreganj on April 17, 2018, Wadud's lawyer Md Sagir Hossain Leon said.

On May 14, 2023, Wadud sent a divorce letter to Zarin.

Zarin filed a case with a Madaripur court on August 6, 2023, under Joutuk Nirodh Ain (Dowry Prohibition Act), 2018.

Wadud, who got bail from a Madaripur court on August 24, 2023, in the case, filed a criminal petition with the HC challenging its trial proceedings.

Following his petition, the HC on September 4, 2023, stayed the trial proceedings for six months and issued a rule asking the state to show causes why the case pending in Madaripur's Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court should not be transferred to any CJM court in Mymensingh or Dhaka, or Gazipur.

Despite HC's order, Madaripur's Senior Judicial Magistrate KM Alamgir Hossain on September 14, 2023, fixed February 15 this year for hearing a petition filed by the complainant seeking cancellation of Wadud's bail and ordered him (Wadud) to appear before the magistrate court on in connection with the case, Advocate Sagir Hossain Leon said.

He said it was illegal for Magistrate KM Alamgir Hossain to continue trial proceedings of the case and directed Wadud to appear before his court before the expiration of HC's order.

Today, the HC also extended the stay order on the case proceedings for the next six months, the lawyer added.