Dhaka: The High Court (HC) on Sunday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned as to why it shall not grant bail to four people languishing in jail for years without trials.

Acting on its own motion, a High Court division bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice JBM Hassan passed the order.

‘The HC bench asked for the case documents from the lower court and ordered the jail authorities to produce the detainees before it on December 4,’ said Advocate Cumar Debul Dey, who brought the matter to the notice of the court.

Chan Miah, Makbul Hossain, Sentu Kamal and Billal Hossain are suffering behind the bars without trials at Kashimpur High Security Prison for 18, 17, 16 and 15 years respectively.

Recently a private TV channel brought the matter to everyone’s attention as it aired some investigative reports on plight of the inmates. Earlier on November 8, the High Court granted bail to a man detained for long 16 years without trial.

Terming the issue as shameful for the state and the judiciary as well, the court on that day had asked Dhaka deputy commissioner and district social welfare officer to take necessary steps for rehabilitating the man Shipon, if he seeks it.

After the report of Channel 24, the Supreme Court legal aid office recently sent letters to prison authorities to give the lists of inmates kept behind the bars for five to ten years without any trials.

Kashimpur jail authority has already sent a list of 56 such detainees to the office of the IG Prisons.