Supreme Court upholds High Court order to keep FF status for 196 BGB men

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday upheld a High Court order that had stayed a government decision to scrap Freedom Fighter (FF) gazette for 196 former members of Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB).

An Appellate Division virtual bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order, dismissing an appeal filed by the state against the High Court order.

Advocate Ahsanul Karim argued for the BGB men, while Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed took part in the hearing for the state.

The High Court on July 7, 2020, had stayed the government decision to scrap Freedom Fighter gazette for 196 former members of Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB).

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A High Court division virtual bench of Justice JBM Hassan had passed the order after holding hearing on four separate writ petitions filed in this regard.  

“The petitioners filed the writs as the decision to scrap their freedom fighter status was not taken in accordance with the law. So, the court has stayed the government decision for these 119 petitioners till the commencement of regular court proceedings,” Barrister Abdul Qaium, who moved the petitions before the High Court, had told media that day.

The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs on June 7, 2020, issued the gazette notification, scrapping Freedom Fighter status for 1,134 former BGB men.

Of those 1,134 men, 196 including Mosharraf Hossain of village Begurbati under Sadar upazila of Bagerhat and Fazlul Huq of village Bethbari under sadar upazila of Tangail filed four separate writs petitions against that June 7 gazette.