DHAKA: The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court against the “systemic abuse of false criminal cases used to harass, intimidate, and dispossess Hindus and other minorities” across the country aiming to expose “legal harassment of the Bangladesh’s religious minorities”.
“This upcoming PIL, submitted to the High Court Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court, is not just a legal action — it is a cry for justice in a country where over 3.9 million criminal cases remain pending and where unchecked powers have turned prosecution into persecution, ” read a statement issued by the HRCBM on Monday.
“A chilling example of this weaponisation of justice is the ongoing detention of Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari, a revered monk and social reformer. He was first arrested under a sedition charge, filed illegally by a private individual — in violation of Bangladeshi law which only allows the state to file sedition charges (as per Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). Despite the baselessness of this charge, and mounting public outrage, Chinmoy Prabhu remains imprisoned, ” the statement added.