Lower court in Nilphamari acquitted accused
Setting a rare precedent, a 15-year-old rape victim from Nilphamari yesterday (June 15, 2022) appeared before a High Court bench along with her mother seeking justice, as the accused was acquitted by a lower court.
“Sir, I have been raped. We are very poor. We have no money to move the case further. I want justice from you,” the victim told the HC bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin at the beginning of the proceedings.
Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim, the presiding judge of the bench, asked for details from the 15-year-old and also inquired about the identity of the lady accompanying her.
The girl introduced the lady as her mother and said “I am now 15 years old. A member of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) raped me. But the concerned court in Nilphamari acquitted the offender. We don’t have the money to fight the legal battle. We want justice from you (HC judges).”
After the victim placed some legal papers before the bench, the court asked whether there was any panel lawyer from the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee (SCLAC) present in the courtroom to provide legal assistance to the girl.
A panel lawyer of the SCLAC approached the bench and said she was interested to provide legal assistance to the victim.
Later, Justice Jahangir Hossain handed over the papers to the SCLAC panel lawyer and asked her to take necessary legal steps to ensure justice for the victim.
When contacted, Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi told The Daily Star that he will inquire about the rape case from Nilphamari Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal and will take the next course of action after that.
The victim herself or the state can move an appeal before the HC challenging the trial court’s acquittal verdict, he said.
However, Sarwar Hossain was not able to provide details about the rape case filed by the victim.
This has been described as a rare precedent since no victim has ever approached the High Court in this manner.
– With The Daily Star input
