Govt to withdraw 20,000 ‘false and political’ cases in six months

NN Online:
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs is set to withdraw at least 20,000 false and politically motivated cases over the next six months, in a move aimed at ending years of legal harassment and restoring justice to thousands of victims.

Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul disclosed the development during a programme in the capital on Thursday, stating, “I believe the ministry will withdraw at least 20,000 false cases in the next six months. This initiative will finally bring relief to those unjustly implicated.”

He said the government has already recommended the withdrawal of around 12,000 cases, which directly impacted an estimated 300,000 individuals.

According to ministry sources, the inter-ministerial committee led by Dr Nazrul has held 16 meetings as of May 28, proposing the withdrawal of 11,448 political cases, with further reviews ongoing.

The government had earlier urged political parties to submit lists of politically motivated cases, particularly those filed with the intention to harass opposition leaders and activists during the previous authoritarian regime.

BNP responded by submitting a list of approximately 16,000 cases by January 14, 2025, while Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami sent in 1,200 cases by April 27. Dr Nazrul confirmed that around half of those cases have already been recommended for withdrawal.

However, he pointed out that delays are occurring due to incomplete documentation. “Some parties failed to provide essential documents such as FIRs and charge-sheets with their submissions. That has slowed down the process,” he said.

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh submitted a list of 44 cases only recently, on May 20, 2025. Dr Nazrul noted that quick action is now underway to review and resolve those cases.

The Law Ministry has again urged political parties to cooperate by submitting complete files—including FIRs and charge-sheets—along with their lists of cases to expedite the withdrawal process.