Law Minister Anisul Huq said on Thursday that a probe should be granted 50 years, if necessary, in order to identify the perpetrators in the case filed over the killings of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi in February 2012.
The law minister came up with the remarks in response to a question from journalists at a press conference on contemporary issues at his Secretariat office in Dhaka.
鈥業t would not be right to force the submission of the investigation report in the case,鈥� he said.
At the press conference, the law minister mentioned several examples of speedy trials in the country, saying that his government had established the role of law in the country.
When asked about the progress in the Sagar-Runi murder case, he said, 鈥業f the police cannot complete the investigation in the case, then is it right to forcibly complete the probe and give a final report or charge sheet?鈥�
鈥楾hey should be given as much time as their probe takes to identify the real culprits. If it is 50 years, 50 years should be given,鈥� said the minister.
Asked if journalists would wait 50 years for a verdict in the case, the law minister said, 鈥楾his is not the rule; this case is exceptional.鈥�
He said that in cases where the culprits had been caught, the trial is going on fast track, but where the criminal could not be caught, the probe could not be completed they must be given time.鈥�
The delay in the probe into the murder case of Sagar-Runi has left journalists frustrated, as the Rapid Action Battalion has failed to submit its reports despite 105 deadlines from the court over a decade.
Sagar, news editor of private television channel Maasranga, and his wife, Runi, a reporter for ATN Bangla, were stabbed to death in their rented apartment in Dhaka鈥檚 West Raja Bazar area in front of their minor son on February 11, 2012.
About the recent conviction of Professor Muhammad Yunus in a labour law violation case, the law minister said the government was not harassing Nobel laureate professor Muhammad Yunus, and no case had been filed against him on false charges.
The Department of Labour took action to protect workers鈥� rights after an investigation revealed labour rights violations, he said, adding that no one is above the law, and if anyone commits a crime, that person must face the law.
He also said, 鈥楾he appeals Dr Yunus made to dismiss the case were rejected by both the High Court and Appellate Division. This means that the country鈥檚 highest court has approved the conduct of the case.鈥�
The accusations of government harassment are a conspiracy against the country, he added.