The High Court yesterday issued a contempt rule against four police officers for not complying with its directives asking them to free roads and footpaths from Gulistan Zero Point to Sadarghat in the capital. In response to a contempt of court petition, the HC bench comprising Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akond asked the four officer-in-charges (OCs) of Shahbagh, Bangshal, Sutrapur and Kotwali police stations to explain in two weeks why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for not implementing its 2012 directives. Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights body, filed the contempt of court petition as the four did not reply to a legal notice served by the HRPB on October 31 asking them to implement in 24 hours the High Court directive that had asked them to free roads and footpaths from Zero Point to Sadarghat in Dhaka.
Advocate Manzill Murshid, president of HRPB, filed the contempt petition with the HC on Sunday seeking HC directive in this regard.
Earlier, in 2012, upon a writ petition, the HC directed the police to take steps in 48 hours to facilitate easy movement of people and vehicles on the roads and footpaths from Zero Point to Sadarghat.
It ruled that the authorities have to ensure that nobody will keep sand, rod and other materials, parked rickshaw-vans and carts and establish makeshift shops by occupying the road and footpaths and asked them to submit a progress report on the implementation of the order to the court every 30 days.
But, the HC order was not followed by the authorities concerned properly, Manzill said.