24,013 politically motivated harassment cases withdrawn

A total of 24,013 harassment cases filed for political reasons in the past have so far been withdrawn. The information was given during the question-and-answer session of the second sitting of the fourth session of the National Parliament on Tuesday (10 November).

The reply was given in the session presided over by Speaker Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram. Law Minister Md. Asaduzzaman gave the information in reply to a written question from Md. Keramat Ali, Member of Parliament for Chapainawabganj-1.

In his question, the MP had asked why thousands of people were still suffering harassment because various false and political cases from the previous fascist era remained undisposed, what was preventing their disposal, and whether there was any roadmap for when they would be settled.

In reply, the law minister said the process of withdrawing harassment cases filed for political reasons began during the interim government. After the present government took office, it took initiatives to make the process faster and more effective.

As part of this, on 5 March 2026, four-member committees chaired by the District Magistrate were formed at the district level. These committees review the application for withdrawal, the first information report, certified copies of the charge sheet where applicable, and the opinion of the public prosecutor.

The committees consider whether the case was filed with the intention of political harassment, whether there is any need to continue the case in the public interest, and whether continuing it could harm the interests of the state. On the basis of these considerations, they recommend withdrawal of the case.

Later, to coordinate the withdrawal process after examining the recommendations of the district committees, a six-member central committee chaired by the law minister was formed on 8 March of the same year.

The reply further stated that when an application for withdrawal is received and, on the basis of the recommendation of the relevant district committee, a case appears to be one of harassment, the government will take the necessary steps to withdraw it.

It was therefore conveyed to Parliament that, beyond the 24,013 cases already withdrawn, new applications will also be decided through the same verification process.