Freedom fighter to get all dues paid after 40 years of waiting

Md Obaidul Alam Akon, a freedom fighter who was wrongfully sacked from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in 1982, was finally acquited on Monday after fighting a long legal battle for his rights.

A six-member Appellate Division virtual bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed a state plea seeking review of its order that had upheld a High Court order, declaring the then military court’s sentence out of legal jurisdiction and instructed the DAE to pay Akon his dues.

“The concerned authorities will now have to pay Akon his due salary and other benefits associated with his previous position from 1982, the year when he lost his job, till the date of his retirement,” Akon’s lawyer Prabir Niyogi told media.

The 68-year-old valiant freedom fighter was ecstatic after the apex court’s order and said he did not expect this legal battle to end in his lifetime.

Akon was sacked by a military court in 1982 on the allegation of receiving Tk2.50 more for selling five packets of jute seeds, from a farmer.

“They filed a false case against me and the military court after a brief hearing, fined Tk1,000, and jailed me for two months. 

“Later, the DAE also sacked me for the crime I never committed,” Akon said.

Md Obaidul Alam Akon, in 2012, filed a writ with the High Court which, in 2017, declared the military court’s sentence illegal and out of legal jurisdiction and instructed the DAE to pay Akon his dues.

Following the High Court order, DAE appealed with the apex court and the Appellate Division on March 8, 2020, which also upheld the High Court order. 

The DAE later filed the review plea, which was dismissed on Monday.