Innocent people too named in cases after Aug 5, says Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has acknowledged that some innocent and ordinary citizens were accused in cases filed after August 5, 2024, allegedly for personal gain.

Speaking to journalists at the ministry on Tuesday, the minister said the government has taken note of complaints that certain groups filed cases targeting individuals for “opportunistic” reasons.

“Some common and innocent people have been accused in several cases filed after August 5 to satisfy personal benefits. These matters have come to our attention. We will scrutinise them and verify the facts,” he said.

He added that the government is committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that no one falls victim to unnecessary or harassing litigation.

More political cases to be withdrawn

The home minister also announced that approval has been given to withdraw 1,202 additional political harassment cases filed during the 17 years of the previous government against opposition leaders, activists and people from various professions.

Earlier, approval had already been granted to withdraw 1,006 such cases.

Salahuddin said the withdrawals apply strictly to political harassment cases. Serious criminal charges, including murder, drugs, illegal arms, explosives and violence against women and children, have been excluded from consideration.

Scrutiny committee to prevent misuse

He further said the government is considering withdrawing several more cases, but only after careful review.

“We will examine whether the cases are genuinely political or not. A scrutiny committee will be formed to ensure that the process is not misused,” he said, adding that a decision on the next phase is expected within the next few days.

The remarks signal a dual approach by the government: reviewing recent cases to prevent alleged misuse of the legal system, while continuing the process of withdrawing what it describes as politically motivated cases from the past.