Court Correspondent

The High Court on Sunday ordered the “Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal” to complete the trial process of the Magura child rape case within the next 180 days.

The court also instructed the government to appoint a social service officer for ensuring the well-being of the eight-year-old victim and her 14-year-old sister, and to ensure security for the duo.

The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Rai Chowhdury issued the orders after asking Barrister Masbih Hossain and Barrister Hamidul Misbah to file a writ over the rape incident that has sparked a nationwide outcry.

On Sunday, the same bench of High Court also ordered the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove all the social media images of the child victim within 24 hours.

Earlier, Barrister Masbih drew the attention of the court to the incident using relevant newspaper articles.

On Saturday morning, after unwarranted delays, the victim’s mother filed the rape case with the Magura Police Station. In the case statement, she alleged her elder daughter’s in-laws collaborated in the crime. The 14-year-old bride’s father-in-law raped her younger sister and the eight-year-old child with assistance from the groom.

The mother-in-law and brother-in-law attempted to cover up the crime, and even strangle the victim to death, as per the case statement.

All four accused are now under police custody and the home ministry must not be freed under any circumstances.