The High Court yesterday directed the government to take steps for fully implementing its eight directives, including setting up a museum, issued earlier for upholding the dignity and sanctity of Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka.
The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman also asked the cultural affairs secretary to submit a progress report before it on implementation of the directives, following a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.
HRPB's lawyer Advocate Manzill Murshid moved the petition yesterday before the bench, saying that the HC on August 25, 2010 had issued eight directives to uphold the dignity and sanctity of the Shaheed Minar that was set up to maintain the spirit of the Language Movement and pay tribute to its heroes, but most of the directives were not implemented yet.
Following a writ petition filed by HRPB, the HC on August 25, 2010 issued the eight directives.
It directed the authorities concerned to set up a museum along with a library at any side of the Central Shaheed Minar and take effective measures so that no unsocial activities take place there.
The HC asked the government to take effective steps so that no function or meeting can be held at the original Bedi (main part) of the Minar. However, there would be no embargo on holding any function outside the original Bedi.
The ministry of cultural affairs has been asked to appoint three security guards to protect the area of the Minar. The HC also ordered the government to set up Shaheed Minars on the premises of all universities and other educational institutions across the country to show respect to the memories of the language heroes.
The HC then ordered the government to form a committee for preparing a list of language heroes and publish it in a gazette notification by January 31, 2012.
It also directed the government to honour the language heroes, both dead and alive, with posthumous and other awards for their contribution to the movement.
The court ruled that the government would provide financial support to the language heroes if they apply for such assistance. It asked the government to publish brochures containing the history of the language movement both in Bangla and English to distribute those among the visitors to the country.
The government was also asked to invite the language movement heroes in all state programmes and ensure all governmental facilities for them.