HC rule stops 'unlawful' proceedings against Gulf returnees

All proceedings against the returnees from the Gulf states were dropped after a rule issued by a High Court Division bench on Thursday. 

The bench comprising Justice Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mustafizur Rahman issued the rule directing the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) and the police to follow the judgments of the Supreme Court, read a press release issued by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).

The CMM had already stopped the proceedings and filed compliance accordingly. All proceedings against 219 Gulf returnees from the Middle East were dropped. 

Earlier, on 1 October the same bench of the High Court directed the investigating officer (IO) of Turag police station to explain why 219 returnees from three Gulf states were detained under Section 54. 

The High Court bench also directed the chief metropolitan magistrate to show cause under what law the detention was carried out.  

It may be recalled that 219 returnee migrants were detained following their quarantine period under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 

The police also accused them of "tarnishing the image of the country" and "hatching conspiracy against the government and the state". 

On police plea, the detention order was extended a few times. Subsequently, two other groups of returnee migrants from Vietnam, Qatar and Lebanon were also detained on almost similar grounds after they finished their quarantine period.

 Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua made the submission on behalf of one Shahin Alam, a returnee from Bahrain. 

Under the stewardship of the legal counsel Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua and his team, the case was facilitated by academic activists Rezaur Rahman Lenin and Dr CR Abrar of RMMRU. 

The team has filed a similar case with regard to 81 Vietnam returnees, 2 Qatar returnees. It also plans to move the court on the 32 Lebanon returnees.