The Supreme Court (SC) of Bangladesh yesterday upheld a High Court (HC) order that directed the government to recognise 2,367 members of the ‘guerrilla force’ who had participated in the 1971 Liberation War as freedom fighters.
A four-member bench, led by Chief Justice S K Sinha, passed the order rejecting a petition filed by the state.
Attorney General Mahabubey Alam represented the state and advocate Subrata Chowdhury for the freedom fighters.
Earlier on September 8, the HC directed the government to recognise 2,367 members of the guerrilla force and also ordered to give them proper status, dignity and facilities of the freedom fighters.
The HC bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Abu Taher Saifur Rahman came up with the verdict after hearing the writ petition filed by Pankaj Bhattacharya, a deputy commander of the guerrilla force, on January 19, 2015.
The petitioner in his petition said a special guerrilla force had been formed with the leaders and activists of National Awami Party (NAP), Communist Party and Chhatra Union after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of the country on March 26, 1971.
The deputy commanders of the guerrilla force formally surrendered their arms to Bangabandhu at Dhaka National Stadium on January 30, 1972, the petition said.
The government in exile in 1971 and the government led by Bangabandhu had recognised the members of the guerrilla force as freedom fighters, it said, adding that the names of the members of the guerrilla force were published in government notifications.
The petition also stated that the ministry of liberation war affairs on July 22, 2013, published a gazette notification on the list of 2,367 guerrillas including comrade Moni Singh and NAP president Mozaffar Ahmed, two advisers to the then government in exile, as freedom fighters.
Later in October 2014, the government revoked their certificates.
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