Controversial observation: Kamrunnahar appears before SC

Mosammat Kamrunnahar, who was relieved from Dhaka's Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 after a controversial observation, today appeared before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

Earlier, she was stripped of her judicial powers over her observation that police should not record a rape case 72 hours after the offence.

On 11 November, she acquitted Shafat Ahmed, the son of an Apan Jewellers owner, and four others of charges of raping two university students at the Raintree hotel in Dhaka's Banani in 2017.

She was summoned to explain why she granted bail to an accused in a rape case in 2020 despite a stay order of apex court.

She entered the courtroom of the Appellate Division around 9:30am on Monday.

Later, a bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain held a hearing.

However, the results of the hearing could not be known immediately.

Previously, during the hearing of the Raintree hotel rape case she questioned the characters of the two victims and acquitted the accused citing lack of evidence against them.

The observations during the verdict drew huge criticism from various sections of society.

Later on 14 November, she was withdrawn from her judgeship and attached to the Law and Justice Division, according to a gazette notification issued by the division.

Kamrunnahar also granted bail to a suspect in another case ignoring the Supreme Court's (SC) order to stay the bail in 2020.