The High Court yesterday directed the government to reinstate 1447 Ansar members whose jobs were terminated for mutiny in 1994, but were later acquitted of charges by the court. The HC bench comprising Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif and Justice Badruzzaman passed the order after the final hearing on two separate writ petitions filed in this regard. The HC bench also ordered the authorities concerned to bring the Ansar members who went beyond the age-limit of government services under pension scheme.

The HC order said that the Ansars who have physical fitness and service age would be reinstated within four months after receiving the copy of the HC order. The government will provide pension and other relevant facilities to the Ansars whose retirement ages have already been passed, according to the HC order. In 1994, hundreds of Ansar members stood in rebellion against the authorities raising different demands which was brought under control with Army intervention.

Following the incident, a case was filed against 2,696 Ansar members leading to their termination from jobs.

Later in the trial proceedings, a large number of Ansar men were relieved of the mutiny charges, and 1,447 of them filed petitions with the High Court seeking their jobs back.

On April 25 this year, the High Court issued a rule seeking an explanation as to why the not-guilty Ansar men should not be reappointed and provided with other facilities.

The Ansars, in the petition, said they have got acquittal from the competent court at different times in the case filed following the mutiny. The petitioners said that they applied to the authorities concerned of the government in 2000 for instating their services but the authorities did not do so.

Barrister Syed Md Jahangir Hossain and Sahabuddin Khan Large appeared for the petitioners while Assistant Attorney General Suchira Hossain and Pratikar Chakma represented the state during the hearing.

Later, Barrister Syed Md Jahangir Hossain told reporters that the petitioners would only get the benefit of the High Court order. Those who did not file the petitions have to file separate writs in order to get their job or other facilities, he added.