Govt enacted new legal provisions to prevent false cases after July Uprising: Attorney General

Several false cases were lodged post July Uprising, prompting the government to introduce new legal provisions, including Section 173(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code, to prevent such misuse, Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman said today (10 December). 

Speaking at a Human Rights Day seminar at the National Museum's Sufia Kamal Auditorium in Dhaka, organised jointly by the UN Human Rights Office in Bangladesh and the Human Rights Support Society, he added, "This empowers district Superintendents of Police and metropolitan police commissioners to submit interim reports to the courts in cases of alleged false complaints. The mechanism has already been applied in several cases, helping to ensure that innocent individuals are not victimised."

He further noted, "A number of false cases were registered, often listing 100, 200 or even 300 names in the case documents, usually filed by the alleged victims or their families. But the number of cases filed by law enforcement has reduced significantly."

Addressing concerns over the country's human rights situation, he noted, "Some feel the human rights situation has improved, while others believe it is deteriorating. Since the 2024 popular uprising, there has not been a single enforced disappearance, and no credible report of such an incident has been produced by any human rights organisation or media. Similarly, there have been no crossfire incidents."

He contrasted previous administrations with the current government, highlighting past complicity of state institutions in human rights violations. "In contrast, the current administration prioritises human rights, exercising caution to prevent police from becoming plaintiffs in politically motivated cases," he said.