The High Court yesterday summoned the officer-in-charge (OC) of Bagerhat's Kachua Police Station and four others on November 8 in connection with a village arbitration where a woman was caned.
The court also issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks why its inaction to take legal steps against the torturers should not be declared illegal.
The daily Ittefaq published a report on October 20, stating that UP Chairman Monjur and some others imposed a fatwa (religious edict) on Nilufar, a housewife, for allegedly having an extra marital affair and caned her 40 times.
Nilufar and her husband and children were later forced to leave the village, said the report.
The summons by the HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das came following a writ petition by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.
The OC, Md Monjur; Kachua upazila's Moghia Union Parishad (UP) chairman; two UP members, Md Dulal and Shefali; and watchman Shreebas are to appear and explain their role in connection with the incident.