A top court in Bangladesh has fined a father Tk 100,000 following his son's marriage with a Rohingya girl in defiance of a government ban.
The fine was slapped on Monday as a two-member High Court (HC) bench, comprising Justice Moinul Islam Chawdhury and Justice JBM Hasan, passed the order dismissing a writ petition filed by Babul Hossain seeking its order not to arrest his son Shoyeb Hossain Jewel and his Rohingya wife.
Babul’s son Jewel, 25, of Charigram village in Singair upazila of Manikganj fell in love with Rafiza, 18, who took shelter in Kutupalong camp under Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar fleeing persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
They married each other on September 14 last in front of the imam of a camp mosque although there is a government ban on marrying Rohingya women. Jewel later took his wife to his Manikganj residence.
On information, police started looking for the couple to nab them. The two have been on the run since then.
The worried father later filed a writ petition with the HC seeking its order not to capture and harass the couple.
He in the writ also sought a rule asking the government to explain as to why the Law Ministry notification published on October 25 banning marriage with Rohingyas should not be declared contradictory to sections 27, 28 and 32 of the Constitution as well as the international convention.
Deputy Attorney General Motahar Hossain Raju represented the state while Barrister ABM Hamidul Misbah stood for Babul.
Raju in his argument mentioned that foreigners cannot move outside a specific area as per the Foreigners Act and there is a government ban on the marriage among Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas.
Hence, he said, the petitioner has committed two crimes.
HC upon hearing fined Babul for bringing the Rohingya girl out of the camp and filing the writ to register the couple's marriage.