HC issues rule asking why swift steps not taken to recover arms looted during July Uprising
The bench of Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Md Anwarul Islam passed the order on Thursday (5 March) after holding a preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed in the public interest, according to court sources.
The High Court has issued a rule asking why effective steps should not be taken to quickly recover the large number of firearms and ammunition looted from police stations and offices of law enforcement agencies during the 2024 July Uprising.
The bench of Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Md Anwarul Islam passed the order on Thursday (5 March) after holding a preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed in the public interest, according to court sources.
The court directed the cabinet secretary, home secretary, law secretary, election commission secretary, inspector general of police (IGP) and the director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to respond to the rule within four weeks.
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The writ petition was filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan.
According to the petition, media reports indicate that during the uprising, a total of 5,750 firearms and 6,51,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from different parts of the country.
Although the government later announced rewards for the recovery of the weapons, a significant portion remains unrecovered, which the petition described as a matter of serious concern.
The petition further stated that the large quantity of illegal arms in the hands of criminals poses a major threat to public safety and is being used in various criminal activities.
In this context, the writ was filed seeking enforcement of citizens' fundamental right to life under Article 32 of the Constitution, prompting the High Court to issue the rule to the government.
