Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has issued a show-cause notice to Judge Shahidul Islam of Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-10, seeking an explanation over allegations of assaulting a police officer inside his private chamber.
According to Law Ministry sources, Judge Shahidul Islam has been directed to explain within seven days why departmental action should not be initiated against him for misconduct and breach of discipline.
The administrative action follows a meeting on Wednesday at National Parliament building, where a 12-member delegation from Bangladesh Police Association met with the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Md Asaduzzaman, to demand justice.
The delegation, which included the association’s President Kamrul Hasan Talukdar and General Secretary Monirul Islam Dablu, was accompanied by the victim, Sub-Inspector (SI) Mohammad Ali of Dhaka Railway Police Station.
During the meeting, the delegation detailed the allegations against Judge Shahidul Islam and sought a fair investigation. Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman listened to their grievances and assured them that justice would be served through a departmental inquiry.
The alleged assault of SI Mohammad Ali in the judge’s private chamber occurred on Tuesday, sparking widespread discussion and criticism within both the judiciary and police administration.
The dispute originated on 29 August when SI Mohammad Ali was on security search duty at Narayanganj and Padma Bridge-bound suburban railway platform.
Police personnel attempted to search the bag of Sakib Al Hasan, an office assistant of Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-10.
Sakib allegedly resisted the search and behaved discourteously with the on-duty police officers, leading to him being taken to the railway police station.
Though he initially concealed his identity, Sakib later introduced himself as a peon of Court-10, and the issue was settled after his identity was verified over the phone with the judge.
However, SI Mohammad Ali claimed that Sakib threatened to “deal with them in court” upon leaving, prompting the officer to lodge a General Diary (GD) with Dhaka Railway Police Station.
On 31 August, Senior Judicial Magistrate Tajul Islam Sohag of the cognisance court of Dhaka Railway Police Station summoned SI Mohammad Ali through his superior officer. He was reportedly advised to resolve the matter directly with the judge of Court-10.
On Tuesday afternoon, SI Mohammad Ali went to the court to settle the issue, where he was allegedly assaulted in the judge’s private chamber.
In his written complaint, the SI said an unidentified man holding a mobile phone was already in the room, and the door was locked with three individuals, including court staff, remaining inside.
He alleged that a person struck him from behind and beat him indiscriminately, while another person recorded the incident on a mobile phone. The SI also claimed that the judge addressed him using demeaning terms and reprimanded him.
Despite the SI offering to apologise for any behaviour that might have offended the judge, his plea was ignored. The SI alleged that the judge orchestrated the pre-planned assault and humiliation based entirely on the claims of his peon, Sakib Al Hasan.
Denying the allegations, Sakib Al Hasan offered a contrasting account of the initial encounter. He claimed that upon alighting from a train at Kamalapur, police personnel, including a constable, touched his shoulder bag.
He requested them to search it in his presence, and they let him go after he identified himself as court staff.
Sakib further alleged that when he went to the railway police station to report the matter, SI Mohammad Ali became infuriated, slapped him, and behaved rudely with the judge over the telephone.
