HC warns ACC in full verdict of Jahalam case
The High Court (HC) has published the full text of the verdict in the case of wrongfully detaining victim Jahalam warning the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to be very careful in future to implicate any person in any case.
"The 88-page full HC verdict, published on Sunday, also ordered the Brac Bank to pay Tk15 Lakh compensation to innocent jute mill worker Jahalam," said ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.
He also informed that the Brac Bank is ordered to pay Jahalam within a month and notify the Supreme Court Registrar General office within one week after the payment.
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"The HC handed out the operative part of the verdict on 30 September, 2020 ordering Brac Bank to compensate Jahalam, who was wrongfully arrested and was put behind bars," Khurshid Alam said.
Regarding ACC, the HC said, "ACC is a national institution and an independent authority formed to prevent corruption. They will conduct their investigations as per the law and rules and they have to be very careful in future while implicating any person in any such wrongful case."
In April 2012, the ACC filed 33 cases over the embezzlement of a huge amount of money from Brac Bank and Sonali Bank by cheque fraud. The lawsuits were filed against Salek. However, Jahalam was arrested in 26 cases even though the police indicted Salek in 26 cases.
Jahalam's misery came to light when a national daily ran a report titled "Wrongfully accused in 33 cases, I am Jahalam, not Salek."
In 2019, Amit Dasgupta, a lawyer of the Supreme Court presented the report before the court. Meanwhile, jute mill worker Jahalam had served three years behind bars.
The HC later issued a suo moto rule and heard the explanations of four people, including the representative of the ACC chairman, over the 26 cases. The HC later granted bail to Jahalam.
