Pakistan Observer
7th April 1955
Sheikh Mujib Acquitted in Jail Gate Rioting Case
(By A Staff Reporter)
“A prima facio case under Sec, 7(3) of East Bengal Public Safety Ordinance, 147/148/448/326/427/395 and 149 PPC, has not been made out against any one of the accused persons, and they are discharged under Sec. 209(1) C. PC.,” observed Mr. Fazle Rabbi, Magistrate, 1st Class, in his judgement yesterday (Wednesday) on the Dacca Central Jail Gate Rioting Case against Sk. Mujibar Rahman and 10 others. Delivering the judgement before an anxious crowd, the learned judge pointed to a series of gross mistakes in the First Information Report (Ex-22) which had started the case and was lodged by the Superintendent of the Jail. The case started by an earlier F.I.R. of the same day was also disposed of in the judgement. The first mistake was the date which was mentioned as May 6 though the incident had taken place on May 7. Oversight was offered as an explanation of the mistake. But, the judge observed, it was “curious” that both the typist and the Superintendent should have overlooked the flaw. The second significant” mistake was the word “this”, instead of “last” which would have been appropriate, as it occurs in the F. L R. when the author refers to the previous F. I. R. The first F. I. R. was lodged at 2 or 2:30 am and the second was lodged at 3:40 am with the Investigating Officer, who was the prosecution witness No. 31.