Nearly 5 lakh people relieved from politically motivated cases

The interim government has cleared almost five lakh people from harassment cases filed during the tenure of the Awami League (AL) government, officials said on Sunday.

According to a Press Information Department (PID) handout, the cases involved 23,865 politically motivated complaints lodged between January 6, 2009, and August 5, 2024, against leaders and activists from parties including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, and Gano Odhikar Parishad.

The initiative follows the formation of district-level committees headed by Deputy Commissioners, alongside an inter-ministerial panel led by Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul, on September 22, 2024. These committees invited applications from political parties seeking withdrawal of cases.

The inter-ministerial committee reviewed petitions through 39 meetings held at different times and recommended the withdrawal of the identified cases. 

Authorities said the process of reviewing and clearing politically sensitive cases is still ongoing.