“Contempt of Court? I don’t care”, says the premier Hasina

Posted by Ameenur Rasheed on June 1, 2014.

A High Court bench in Bangladesh has said it will investigate whether the prime minister’s Saturday’s remark that she does not care if the court considers contemptuous her comment censuring its order to arrest three RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) officials on seven murders in the suburb city of Narayanganj.

On Saturday Hasina was quoted as saying at press conference organised at her official residence: “When we were still investigating the matter … and before that investigation was complete … you tell us how come a High Court bench orders arrest of the three [RAB officers] ?…
Now if you want any evidence, seek it from the judges of that court.”

She continued “What? Scared? Will it warrant contempt [proceedings]? Doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

Supreme Court lawyer Tamzida Mila informed the bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar about the report yesterday.

She also started reading out the report before the bench, but before she finished it, Justice Mirza Hussain asked her to submit it. After she submitted it, she asked the court about the report around 2pm, when the bench said, “We are looking into and we will look into.”

Talking to the press, the lawyer said he had drawn the attention of the court on the prime minister’s reported comment because such a comment might encourage others to ignore the High Court order. “It is up to the bench whether it will issue any order on the comment or it will not,” she said, adding: “I did not ask the court to initiate contempt proceedings as the court will then ask me to file a petition.”