Court releases convict upon providing facilities to victim for 1 year
The convict will have to construct a standard toilet and plant 20 forest and fruit tree saplings at the victim’s residence as well as release 15kg fish fries to his pond
In a very rare example, a court of Chakaria in Cox's Bazar has put a convict on a probationary release from detention upon a condition of giving various facilities to the complainant for one year.
The court of Chakaria Senior Judicial Magistrate Rajib Kumar Deb announced the extraordinary verdict on 23 November last, confirmed Chakaria Bar Association President and APP Advocate Shahidullah Chowdhury.
On 15 March 2017, Kafil Uddin, a resident of Sikdarpara in Pekua Union, agreed to buy 20 decimals of land from Rizia Begum from the same area for Tk5.5 lakh. He made a conveyance deed and got the land registered from Rizia the same day by paying her Tk3 lakh, according to the court.
Kafil agreed on a Tk300 stamp to pay the remaining amount to Rizia within a month. Later on 15 July 2018, Rizia Begum denied all the transactions when she was asked by the buyer for a refund.
Kafil Uddin then filed criminal charges under sections 406 and 420 of the Penal Code 1860. Following the investigation, Senior Judicial Magistrate Rajib Kumar Deb took up the case on 29 January 2019 for hearing.
Accused Rezia Begum was sentenced to a six-month imprisonment and fined Tk10,000 in the verdict announced on 23 November. However, the court put the convict, Rizia, on a one-year probationary release on eight conditions, instead of sending her to jail.
As per the conditions, the convict will have to pay Tk20,000 in compensation and expenses to the complainant within the next 15 days.
Also, the convict will provide the victim and his family members with one Quran each and clothes during upcoming Ramadan. They will also have to be invited for 6-day meals in Ramadan.
Rizia Begum will have to pay school fees and provide other educational materials to Kafil Uddin's children for one year.
Moreover, the convict will have to construct a standard toilet and plant 20 forest and fruit tree saplings at the victim's residence as well as release 15kg fish fries of different species to his pond.
As per the verdict, Rizia Begum will have to submit a report to the court on the compliance and progress of the conditions for every three months.
Failure to comply with the order will result in her imprisonment for six months, according to the verdict.