A Cox’s Bazar court on Thursday (26 September) acquitted BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed in two cases filed under the Special Power Act with Chakaria police station around 17 years back.
Cox’s Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate Aktar Jabed acquitted him from the cases as no state or defence witnesses appeared before the court for testimony in the past 17 years, said the court’s senior lawyer Abu Siddik Osmani.
Under section 249 of the Penal Code, the court acquitted him from the charges, he said.
Being acquitted, Salahuddin said people from different walks of life, including political leaders and journalists, have been subjected to false and harassing cases by the fascist government for the past 16 years.
It will be a relief for people of the country and democracy if they are freed from those cases, he said, adding that “Today justice has been established.”
According to the court sources, two people—Badiur Rahman and Mahmudur Haque of Palakata and Badarkhali areas respectively—of the upazila filed the cases against Salahuddin in 2007 following two incidents in 2001 and 2002 on allegations of stealing fish from two fish enclosures.
