Bangladesh law adviser says will withdraw 20,000 'false cases' in next 6 months

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s law adviser Asif Nazrul has said that at least 20,000 "false and politically motivated" cases will be withdrawn by his ministry in the next six months, according to a media report on Friday.

The law adviser, equivalent to a minister in the interim government of Muhammad Yunus, said this would “free the implicated people from all the stigmas and sufferings once and for all”, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.

"I think the ministry will withdraw at least 20,000 false cases in the next six months," Nazrul said at a programme in the city on Thursday.

"The government has taken a bold step of withdrawing false or politically motivated cases and it has already recommended withdrawal of around 12,000 cases, which affect the lives of at least 300,000 people," he added.

Quoting law ministry sources, the news agency said the inter-ministerial committee headed by Nazrul in its 16 meetings so far (till May 28), proposed to withdraw 11,448 political cases.

Ministry sources said the committee is recommending the withdrawal of the political cases after reviewing the lists and related documents sent by district-level committees and solicitor wing of the law ministry.

Sources added that the political parties may also send a list of political cases to the inter-ministerial committee to expedite the process.

Nobel laureate Yunus, 84, took over as the head of the interim government after then prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, following the toppling of her Awami League government in a massive student-led protest in August last year.