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Wednesday | November 11, 2026 | Dhaka

24,000 politically motivated cases withdrawn Law Minister

 City Desk
 Published: 12:01 AM, 11 November 2026

The government has withdrawn 24,013 cases filed for political reasons or to harass individuals, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman told Parliament on Tuesday.

Replying to a question from MP Keramat Ali, the minister said the withdrawal process began under the interim government and had been reinforced by the current administration.

On the progress of withdrawing cases filed during the Awami League regime, Asaduzzaman said the government would take necessary steps to withdraw those found to be politically motivated or intended to harass individuals.

To streamline the process, a four-member district-level committee, headed by the district magistrate, was formed on March 5. It examines applications for withdrawal, complaints, certified copies of charge sheets where applicable, and opinions from public prosecutors.

The committee assesses whether a case was filed for political harassment, whether its prosecution serves the public interest, and whether continuing it could affect state interests before making a recommendation.

A six-member central committee, headed by the law minister, was formed on March 8 to review recommendations from the district committees and coordinate the withdrawal process nationwide.

Responding to a supplementary question from BNP MP Zainul Abdin Farroque, Asaduzzaman said cases of any nature, including murder, would be withdrawn if found to be political, except rape cases.

“Except for rape cases, any type of case, including murder cases, will be withdrawn if it is political in nature and passes through our screening process. There is no room for any ifs and buts here,” he said.

The minister said no case was labelled a “political case” at the time of filing. Political leaders and activists who believe they have been victimised through politically motivated cases have therefore been asked to apply for withdrawal using a prescribed form.

Once an application is submitted, the case will be processed under the established procedures, he said.

Asaduzzaman also noted that former prime minister Khaleda Zia and current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had never applied for the withdrawal of their cases. Instead, their cases were resolved through the courts without any request for special consideration.