Case filed over alleged forgery of court documents in Dhaka

A case has been filed against a lawyer and a complainant over the alleged forgery of court documents to change the name of an accused in a pending case at a Dhaka court.

The complainant, Md Nur-e-Alam, was detained and handed over to Kotwali Police after the alleged forgery came to light at the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Dhaka on Sunday.

The case was filed at Kotwali Police Station by the court's bench assistant, Md Sharif Uddin Bhuiyan, on the instructions of Acting Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Mahbubur Rahman.

According to court sources, the incident came to light on September 20, when Nur-e-Alam took the case file from the bench assistant to examine it ahead of a hearing. Later that evening, while arranging the documents, the bench assistant noticed alterations in the original complaint.

The case documents allegedly showed that the name and address of the second accused, Junayed, had been crossed out and replaced by handwritten details identifying Sajib Hossain alias Babu. Similar alterations were reportedly found in the certified copy of the complaint and the investigation report.

The court also found that it had not previously taken cognisance of any charge against Sajib Hossain alias Babu.

When questioned in the presence of an additional public prosecutor and court staff, Nur-e-Alam denied making the changes. However, he told the court that his former lawyer, Md Mahbubur Rahman Khan, and two to three unidentified people had allegedly altered the accused's name and address in collusion.

Following the questioning, Nur-e-Alam was detained and handed over to police. The court directed its bench assistant to file a case with Kotwali Police Station for investigation.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqui described the alleged tampering as an attack on the judicial system, saying those found involved must face legal consequences.

Dhaka Bar Association General Secretary Advocate Mohammad Abul Kalam Khan said the association would issue a show-cause notice to the lawyer concerned if the allegations were raised against him. He added that disciplinary action would be taken if an investigation established his involvement.

sks