A High Court bench yesterday issued an arrest warrant against Moulvibazar deputy commissioner for defying its orders without any reason.
This is the first time the HC directly issued an arrest warrant against any government high official after separation of the judiciary from the executive.
The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain also directed the inspector general of police and deputy inspector general of police of Sylhet to arrest the DC, Mostafizur Rahman, and produce him before it on August 26.
The bench, however, said if the DC appears before it today and can show satisfactory reasons for not carrying out its orders, it would recall the arrest warrant.
Deputy Attorney General Nazrul Islam Talukder told The Daily Star yesterday this is the first time for the HC to directly issue an arrest warrant against any government high official after the judiciary has been separated from the executive on November 1, 2007.
The HC bench on August 11 this year directed the DC to appear before it on August 22 (yesterday) in connection with a contempt of court petition filed against him, but he did not appear before it without showing any reason, he said.
Earlier on April 21 this year, the court ordered the DC and officials concerned of Moulvibazar to immediately accept the rents from Dilu Mian of the district for Bengali years 1416 and 1417 for his plots of land, and dispose of his application regarding dispute of the property.
Since the DC or other officials concerned did not comply with the HC order, Dilu Mian on August 11 filed a contempt of court petition against the DC.
The HC the same day issued a contempt of court rule against Mostafizur Rahman and asked him to appear before it yesterday.