Shukur Ali, a man from Munshiganj, has been languishing in Kashimpur High Security Central Jail in Gazipur though the High Court in 2012 acquitted him of the charges for which he was earlier convicted by a lower court.
The prison authorities have kept Shukur imprisoned for 12 years after his acquittal as they were unable to secure a copy of the court鈥檚 decision.
The case surfaced when Supreme Court lawyer Hasan Mohammad Abdul Fattah discovered Shukur鈥檚 plight.
Shukur approached Fattah in December 2023 over the telephone from the jail and sought assistance to secure his release.
Shukur鈥檚 voice reportedly cracked with despair, recounting how he had surrendered to the authorities in 2006 following a death sentence handed down for the murder of his wife, sister-in-law, and the latter鈥� child in 2001.
Though the High Court acquitted Shukur in 2012 after reviewing his appeal and accepting another petition filed by the jail authorities against the death sentence, he has been in jail due to administrative oversight.
Fattah uncovered the fact that the High Court decision acquitting Shukur was sent to the Munshiganj Additional District and Sessions Judge鈥檚 Court on October 23, 2017.
Jail superintendent Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun said that Shukur鈥檚 case had been brought to his attention but emphasised that the prison couldn鈥檛 release him without a formal acquittal order.
The jail authorities reportedly reached out to the Munshiganj court in 2023 to confirm Shukur鈥檚 acquittal but they were told that the case file was still with the High Court.
鈥楽hukur is just one of many poor inmates who are trapped in the system without family or legal support,鈥� Mamun said.
Many of these forgotten prisoners remain confined simply due to the lack of legal advocates, he said.
Fattah has recently provided the prison officials with documents confirming Shukur鈥檚 acquittal and hoped to expedite his release.
The lawyer said that he was now preparing to file a writ petition to demand Shukur鈥檚 immediate release.
