The High Court on Monday removed the Rapid Action Battalion from the investigation into the murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi and directed the home ministry to form a high-level taskforce to conclude the probe within six months.
The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam issued the order after hearing a government petition seeking modification of the聽 court鈥檚 April 18, 2012 ruling that assigned the Rapid Action Battalion to carry out the investigation.
Former news editor of Massranga Television Sagar Sarwar and former senior reporter at ATN Bangla Meherun Run were brutally murdered in their rented West Rajabazar home in the capital in the early hours of February 11, 2012, during the Awami League tenure.
The then-home minister, Sahara Khatun, had pledged to capture the killers within 48 hours, but more than 12 years have passed now without significant progress into the double murder鈥檚 investigation.
On Monday, the court expressed shock over the prolonged delay in solving the case, noting that the investigation report was delayed 111 times as of June 30, 2024.
Additional attorneys general Mohammad Arshadur Rouf and Aneek Rushd Haque argued for transferring the investigation to a high-powered taskforce, citing the RAB鈥檚 failure to conclude the probe after a decade.
Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, representing the victims鈥� families, pledged to intensify efforts to uncover the truth, stating that he would soon meet with investigators and pursue legal action in both lower and higher courts.
On August 18, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Nahid Islam emphasised the government鈥檚 commitment to justice in the case, calling for a fresh investigation and pledging full support from his ministry.聽聽聽聽