The developments of the past six months reveal a troubling strain within Bangladesh's criminal justice system. What initially appeared to be a surge in litigation following political instability has, over time, exposed deeper structural vulnerabilities. In the absence of effective safeguards, a segment of actors has systematically exploited procedural loopholes, turning the filing of criminal cases into a tool for harassment, coercion, and strategic targeting. The unchecked proliferation of weak and unverified cases is no longer an episodic concern. It now poses a tangible risk to judicial balance, due process, and institutional credibility.
A review of media reports, investigative findings, and administrative disclosures from the last six months presents a concerning pattern. Hundreds of cases linked to violence and unrest remain active across the country, with a significant concentration of serious charges, including murder, particularly in major urban jurisdictions such as Dhaka. The number of accused individuals runs into the tens of thousands, often with dozens of named persons and a large pool of unidentified suspects included in a single complaint. This pattern raises critical questions about evidentiary standards, procedural discipline, and the growing normalization of mass implication without adequate verification.
Previous information collected from sources between August 2024 and March 2026 reveals an alarming picture of this legal disorder. Across the country, more than 1,700 cases related to political violence and unrest have been filed, including at least 730 to 837 murder cases. In the Dhaka Metropolitan area alone, more than 400 murder cases have been registered. Between 92,000 and nearly 100,000 individuals have been named as accused in these cases.
On average, each case lists between 50 and 100 named accused persons along with several hundred unidentified suspects. The accused are not limited to politicians of the ousted ruling party, the lists also include leading business figures, academics, ordinary citizens, and professionals from various sectors. According to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), during this period more than a thousand journalists were subjected to attacks, legal harassment, or threats, with some even implicated in murder cases.
Across the country, more than 1,700 cases related to political violence and unrest have been filed, including at least 730 to 837 murder cases. In the Dhaka Metropolitan area alone, more than 400 murder cases have been registered. Between 92,000 and nearly 100,000 individuals have been named as accused in these cases.
The strength of any criminal case is most clearly reflected in the rate at which charge sheets are submitted. Among the enormous number of cases filed, the rate of charge sheet submission by police remains below 3 percent. Independent reviews conducted by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) have revealed striking findings. In more than half of the cases they completed investigating, approximately 56 percent were found to be entirely baseless and supported by zero evidence.
In most instances, investigating officers have been compelled to submit Final Reports under Section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure due to the absence of primary evidence, thereby recommending the discharge of the accused. This pattern clearly demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of these cases were not filed on the basis of credible evidence or even minimal factual verification.
This reckless expansion of what may be described as a "case-trading industry" represents not only a grave moral decline but also a naked assault on the country's established criminal justice system. From a legal standpoint, filing false criminal cases purely to harass or blackmail individuals constitutes a specific punishable offence under Section 211 of the Penal Code, 1860. Yet in the post-5 August environment, the application of this provision against those who orchestrated fabricated murder cases has effectively dropped to near zero. This has indirectly created a climate of impunity for professional litigants who misuse the legal system.
Furthermore, knowingly providing fabricated information to the police and implicating innocent citizens in criminal cases constitutes a clear violation of Section 182 of the Penal Code. Perhaps the most discouraging aspect is that even when innocent individuals spend months in prison and suffer severe social stigma due to fabricated accusations, the safeguard provided by Section 250 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows compensation to be recovered from the complainant for false cases, has become little more than a paper tiger.
Another major concern lies in the misuse of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure governing the filing of First Information Reports (FIRs) for cognizable offences. This provision has been widely exploited to include hundreds of "unknown accused persons" in a single complaint. Real case studies reveal the alarming scale of this manipulation. In areas such as Sutrapur and Jatrabari in Dhaka, several murder cases have been filed where the actual family members of the deceased were unaware that a case had even been lodged in the name of their relative.
Business associations such as the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) have repeatedly expressed concern that many leading entrepreneurs have gone into hiding due to the risk of arrest in politically motivated cases. This situation has disrupted banking transactions, import-export operations, and the payment of wages for hundreds of thousands of workers. At the same time, the weakening of the rule of law has contributed to the rise of mob justice and social violence, posing a direct threat to public security.
Ultimately, Bangladesh now faces a defining historical question. Can the country build an independent judicial system capable of ensuring exemplary punishment for the genuine perpetrators of violence during the July-August unrest while simultaneously guaranteeing that no innocent citizen loses their freedom, dignity, or years of life due to the abuse of legal processes?
The writer is a journalist
