The High Court today has issued a rule asking the government to explain why it should not be directed to release 83 Bangladeshi migrant workers who were jailed by a lower court upon their return from abroad.
The court also asked to explain the authorities concerned including home secretary within two weeks in this regard.
The High Court bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with the order on Monday.
Supreme court lawyer Advocate Salah Uddin Reagan was present in favour of the writ petition before the court.
Earlier on September 1, a Dhaka court sent 83 Bangladeshi migrant workers to jail who were supposed to return to their homes upon completion of institutional quarantine at Diabari in the capital’s Uttara.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder passed the order on September 1 after the Investigation Officer (IO) of the case prayed before the court to keep them behind bars until completion of the investigation.
Of the workers, 81 returned to Bangladesh from Vietnam and 2 from Qatar. They returned to Dhaka two weeks ago on a special flight amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Nurul Muttakin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Turag police station.
They were produced before the court earlier in the day after Turag thana police showed them arrested.
They were arrested under the CrPC's (Code of Criminal Procedure) Section 54 for being involved in various crimes in Vietnam, said police.
nh/wi
