Former Kurigram DC Sultana’s punishment scrapped

GBNEWS24DESK//

President Abdul Hamid has set aside the punishment handed down to Sultana Pervin, former deputy commissioner of Kurigram, over her role in the controversial jailing of a reporter.

The government suspended her salary increment for two years but the penalty was scrapped by the president while Sultana has also been relieved of liability in the incident, the public administration ministry announced in a notice on Nov 23.

Sultana, a deputy secretary-level civil servant, is currently an officer on special duty or OSD, which is seen as a punitive measure in the Bangladesh Civil Service, reports bdnews24.com.

Ariful Islam, a journalist of online web portal Bangla Tribune, was detained at midnight and sentenced by a mobile court, the notice read.

Consequently, she faced a departmental case on charges of ‘misconduct’ under the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018.

In March last year, the ministry asked for her explanation over the matter.

Sultana then submitted a written answer and sought a private hearing later in June that year.

Following the hearing in August, an investigation board was formed to look into the case after both her written and oral accounts were deemed unsatisfactory, according to the notice.

The board’s report mentioned that there was evidence of Sultana’s “misconduct”.

The public administration ministry’s notice cited the report and issued a second notice asking for a written explanation from her.“

Considering the reply and the importance of the allegations, relevant administrative matters and the investigation report, a decision was made to suspend her salary hike for two years following the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018… due to the charges of misconduct being proven in the departmental case.”