The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Tuesday made oblique observations in its 172-page judgment over the demeanour of war criminal condemned convict Salauddin Quader Chowdhury terming it unusual and unbecoming.
The tribunal said it is one of the duties of a trial court to observe the demeanour of a witness during trial because finding of facts is based upon the credibility of evidence adduced by a witness and such observation of the trial court carries much weight in the estimation of the apex court.
“During trial of the case, we’ve observed many things, but we like to mention a few traits of the accused, a sitting member of the National Parliament of Bangladesh and elected MP for six times, which appeared to us unusual and unbecoming,” said the tribunal.
It said at the early stage of the trial the accused willfully used to violate decorum of the courtroom by shouting and thus by the order on January 10, last year he was warned for his unruly behaviour.
After closing every day’s proceeding while judges leave the courtroom as a practice, all the people present in the courtroom use to stand to pay respect to the court but the accused remained sitting on his chair, he seldom used to stand at the time of exit of the judges, noted the tribunal.
It also said the tribunal has been set up by the government appointing judges of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh knowing the fact well, the accused used to address the judges of the tribunal as ‘chairman saheb’ or ‘member saheb’.
The accused is the sitting lawmaker of the country but his attitude towards the judiciary has been found to be disrespectful, said the tribunal, adding that the accused is an elected people’s representative but his art of deliberation, actions and conduct as shown in the courtroom were not inconformity with rightness, decency and convention of good behaviour.
It further said everybody should keep in mind, especially the accused, a lawmaker should not forget the popular dictum “Be you ever so high, the law is higher than you”.
“Needless to mention here that our observations will in no way affect the merit of the defence case,” the tribunal added.
Source: UNB Connect