May 2020
Virtual Court
Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has decided to run the functions of both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court virtually without physical presence of lawyers from May 31 till June 15, in light of the coronavirus situation. [Source: The Daily Star]
18 HC judges take oath
Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain administered the oath of Eighteen High Court judges through video conference in the afternoon from his Kakrail residence in Dhaka. Judges of both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court virtually attended the oath ceremony from their homes. Though the oath was administered for the second time in the presence of the Judges before CJ at his office at 9:30pm on the same day because of technological glitches during the online oath administration ceremony. [Source: The Daily Star]
Accusation of killing a handcuffed black man
The Minneapolis police officer accused of killing a handcuffed African-American man, George Floyd, was charged with murder on 29 May, but the move failed to quell surging anger as tense protests erupted in cities across the nation. Demonstrations raged from New York to Los Angeles, and from Atlanta where police cruisers were set ablaze, to Washington where protesters faced off with Secret Service agents outside the White House. [Source: The Daily Star]
Palestinian killed by Israel police
Israeli police in annexed east Jerusalem yesterday shot dead a Palestinian with special needs they mistakenly thought was armed with a pistol. The incident happened in the alleys of the walled Old City near Lions’ Gate, an access point mainly used by Palestinians. [Source: The daily Star]
HC asks govt to protect Dolpin
During a virtual hearing on a writ petition, the High Court bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram to submit a report before it in the next 15 days, stating the steps taken by the committee to protect biodiversity, environment, fishes and dolphins in Halda river and also directed the DC to explain in the same report why a dolphin from Halda River died on May 24. On the hearing of the writ petition submitted by Barrister Abdul Qaium Litan for killing a gangetic dolphin brutally in the Halda River, this Committee was formed by the HC on May 19 to prevent killing of dolphins. [Source: The Daily Star]
MD, Sikder Group sued for threatening
The Exim Bank authorities have sued the managing director of Sikder Group of Companies and his brother for allegedly torturing two top officials of the bank and firing at them over a Tk 500-crore loan. A Sikder Group air ambulance left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Bangkok on May 25 with two passengers amid the coronavirus restrictions. [Source: The Daily Star]
Hong Kong Security Legislation
National People’s Congress of China has overwhelmingly voted to approve a new law imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong to tackle what Beijing has labelled secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the semi-autonomous city. Clashes broke out on May 27 as Hong Kong’s parliament debated a different proposed law, which would make it a crime to disrespect the Chinese national anthem. Hundreds of people were arrested in protests over that and the security law. [Source: The Daily Star]
