Bangladesh's Awami League on Wednesday, 6 May raised grave concerns over a surge in what it termed "false and baseless" cases being filed against ordinary citizens across the country, while also alleging that detainees face systematic obstruction in securing their release even after courts have granted them bail. The party made its concerns public via a post on X (formerly Twitter), citing its own investigations into cases across Dhaka.

The Scale of the Alleged Problem

The Awami League said its investigations revealed that in at least 20 cases filed at different police stations in Dhaka, there is documented evidence of delays in release even after bail was granted by the court. The party described the situation as a "deadly trap for ordinary people", with two simultaneous pressures — the filing of allegedly fabricated cases and the failure to implement bail orders in practice.

According to the party's statement, a "five-layer invisible clearance" system within the police and a chain of "commercialised shown arrests" are together making bail orders effectively unenforceable on the ground.

How the Bail Obstruction System Allegedly Works

The Awami League alleged that once a bail order is granted by the court, a fresh and prolonged bureaucratic process begins at the administrative level. The order reportedly passes through the Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution), divisional police offices, intelligence branches, and finally the concerned police station — with intentional delays created at each stage before the report reaches the prison.

"Allegations suggest that large sums of money are demanded at each step," the party stated in its post.

The Awami League also cited Farzana Yasmin Rakhi, a lawyer at the Dhaka Judge Court, who was quoted as saying: "In political and conflict-related cases, if the police station is not 'managed', release becomes extremely difficult. Just as someone is about to be freed in one case, their name is inserted into another case at a nearby police station."

Families Left Waiting, Detainees Re-Arrested

The party noted that in several instances, families waiting anxiously outside prison gates have watched their relatives get "shown arrested" in a new case at the last moment, effectively nullifying the bail already secured. This practice of inserting names into fresh cases at nearby police stations, critics argue, has become a tool to keep individuals in custody indefinitely.

The Awami League further alleged that provisions under the country's Criminal Procedure Code for an "interim report" — originally designed to prevent harassment of innocent individuals — have "become a tool of corruption."

Accusations of Selective Justice

The party also accused investigating officers of facilitating the release of influential individuals linked to the July 2024 protests in exchange for money, while those without financial means continue to suffer in detention. This, the Awami League argued, reflects a two-tiered justice system where access to liberty is effectively determined by economic capacity.

The Party's Demands

Asserting that legal experts consider bail a "constitutional right", the Awami League called for urgent measures to end what it described as the commodification of this right at the administrative level. The party specifically demanded digital tracking of bail implementation and accountability mechanisms across the bail processing chain. "When this right turns into a commodity at the administrative level, public trust in the justice system is severely undermined," the party stated. The developments come amid a broader political climate of tension in Bangladesh, and how the interim administration responds to these allegations is likely to be closely watched in the weeks ahead.