HC to hear about wrongful imprisonment of Minu, instead of Kulsumi

The High Court (HC) wants to hear the incident of wrongful imprisonment of Minu instead of Kulsum Akter Kulsumi, who was awarded life term imprisonment for killing a woman in Chattogram in 2006.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman ordered the people concerned to add the matter in the cause list. The matter will be in the cause list of Thursday, the concerned lawyer said.

Prison authorities brought Minu's imprisonment instead of Kulsumi to the notice of Chattogram Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Shariful Alam Bhuiyan.

Then, the case documents reached the High Court on 24 March as per the Chattogram court direction.

Later on Wednesday, Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir brought the matter to the notice of the HC bench. The HC bench today ordered to add the matter in the cause list for the hearing.

According to the case statement, Kohinoor Begum, a garment factory worker, was killed in a dispute over a mobile phone in Rahmatganj area of ​​the port city on 9 July, 2006.

 Kulsumi was arrested on 26 October, 2007 in connection with the case. She was released on bail on 18 February, 2009.

Following the trial in this case, the fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Chattogram handed down its verdict on 30 November, 2017.

In the verdict, Kulsumi was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Tk50,000. In default, she has to serve one more year imprisonment.

After this verdict, tempted by money, Minu in guise of Kulsumi surrendered in the Chattogram court on 12 June 2018. She was then sent to jail. Minu has been imprisoned since then.

Kulsumi then appealed to the High Court in 2019 against the sentence given by the lower court. The case is now under trial in the HC bench, headed by Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam. The case was in the cause list of the High Court on 11 February.

After the matter of Minu's imprisonment instead of Kulsumi was brought to the notice of the court, Minu was produced before the Chattogram court on 22 March.

Minu told the court, "Three years ago, she was called by a woman – named Morzina – with a promise to give her rice and pulses and put her in jail. Morzina also said she would get me out of jail as soon as Ramadan was over. I was then in my house in the slum. Now I want to get out from jail.''

The convicted Kulsumi is the daughter of Anu Miah of Lohagara upazila in Chattogram. She lives with her husband Saleh Ahmed at a rented house in Rahmatganj area in the city.

Minu is from Salimpur Jaforabad area in ​​Sitakunda upazila. She has two sons and a daughter. She lived in a slum with her children after her husband Babul, a wheelbarrow driver, died in a road accident.