Justice after 38 years

After a legal battle spanning 38 years, freedom fighter Munshi Mohiuddin Ahmed, 74, finally received justice from the country's apex court.

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court verdict that directed the Rajshahi University authorities to give him Tk 18 lakh as compensation in two months for making long delay to publish his LLB result and for depriving him from justice.

A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury came up with the judgement after dismissing an appeal filed by the RU authorities challenging the HC verdict.

Mohiuddin, who is suffering from paralysis after a brain stroke, sent a message to this correspondent yesterday, saying, "…I finally received justice, and for that I am deeply grateful to Allah."

Earlier, he had managed to received his LLB certificate from RU after a 13-year legal battle.

Lawyer M Shamsul Haque appeared for Mohiuddin while Advocate Syed Al Asafur Ali represented the RU authorities.

On August 3, 2023, the HC directed the RU authorities to give Tk 18 lakh to Mohiuddin in two months following a petition filed by him seeking Tk 30 lakh as compensation as he was deprived of justice.

According to the petition, Mohiuddin, a resident of Harinath Dutta Lane in Jashore Town, sat for LLB examination from Shaheed Mashiur Rahman Law College of Jashore affiliated with Rajshahi University in 1985.

But he found that he couldn't pass the examination as he got one mark shorter than required. Challenging the results, he applied to the university authorities to reevaluate his answer sheet.

Mohiuddin's answer sheet was reevaluated, revealing examiner errors, but RU withheld his result.

He filed a case in 1988, and after years of legal battles through lower courts and the HC, RU finally published his passing result in 2001. In 2021, he sought compensation for the decades-long delay.