A Dhaka court on Monday rejected a petition seeking to file a case against former Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, former Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum and three others over allegations of negligence and failure to import measles vaccines on time, which allegedly led to child deaths.
Kishoreganj-5 lawmaker Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal filed the petition with the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam. The court recorded the complainant’s statement and kept the matter pending for an order before rejecting the petition.
The complainant’s lawyer, Md Salauddin Laskar, confirmed the development. He said the petition had been filed under sections 420, 408, 304 and 34 of the Penal Code.
According to him, the court rejected the petition after considering Section 409, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Corruption Commission. He said the complainant had requested the court to consider the matter under other applicable sections. The court informed them that the detailed reasons would be mentioned in the order. He added that a decision on whether to move the High Court would be taken after receiving the written order.
The other accused named in the petition were former Health and Family Welfare Secretary Md Sayedur Rahman, former Principal Assistant to the Chief Adviser Muhammad Sayedur Rahman and former Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Md Abu Jafor.
The petition alleged that the accused failed to import measles-rubella vaccines on time, creating a vaccine shortage that contributed to a measles outbreak across the country. It claimed that many children missed scheduled vaccinations, leading to widespread infections and deaths.
According to the petition, Bangladesh had long imported vaccines through UNICEF. It alleged that after the interim government assumed office, the existing import system was discontinued and replaced with an open tender process, which caused delays in vaccine procurement.
The petition also referred to comments reportedly made by UNICEF Bangladesh representative Rana Flowers in an interview published on 20 May. It claimed health authorities had been warned repeatedly about a possible vaccine shortage and advised not to halt the existing import arrangement.
The petitioner further claimed that between 15 March and 4 June, 75,708 children were admitted to hospitals with measles and around 610 children died during the period, citing government figures. The petition alleged that negligence, wrong decisions and deliberate actions by the accused contributed to the crisis and put millions of children at risk.
It also stated that although the current government later arranged emergency vaccine supplies, the damage caused by the delay could not be reversed. The petition sought legal action and maximum punishment against those named in the case application.
