Writ filed challenging legality of ICT

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Wednesday challenging the legality of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act.

Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Mohsin Rashid filed the petition and secretaries of the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, the Registrar General of the Supreme Court and other officials concerned were made respondents to it, reports UNB.

Advocate Mohsin Rashid said the petition had already been placed before a High Court bench led by Justice Khizir Hayat for hearing.

Mohsin Rashid said the existing ICT Act is unlawful and lacked a legitimate purpose.

Criticising the latest amendment to the ICT Act, he said “The changes introduced in 2024 turned the law into an instrument of ‘judicial murder’. It is a tribunal that kills people through judicial processes. Therefore, it should be abolished,” he said.

The International Crimes Tribunal Act was enacted in 1973 to prosecute crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.

The law was amended in 2009 to allow the prosecution of both individuals and organisations and to facilitate the independent functioning of the tribunal.