High Court Issues Rule Over Death of Elderly Woman in Mirpur and Elder Care Neglect

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The High Court has issued a rule asking authorities to explain why a three-member investigation committee, led by a judicial officer not below the rank of a first-class magistrate, should not be formed to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of 75-year-old Noor Jahan Begum. The bench, comprised of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice A.F.M. Seiful Karim, issued the order on Tuesday following a preliminary hearing on a writ petition.

Police recovered Noor Jahan Begum’s body from a residence in Dhaka’s Mirpur area on May 31. The deceased was the mother of three professionals, including a joint secretary, a Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) faculty member, and a local school teacher. Public concern was ignited after video footage from the residence circulated on social media, revealing that the victim had been living in unsanitary and squalid conditions.

Advocate Mohammad Sharif Sarkar filed the petition on June 3, citing media reports detailing the incident. Following a supplemental application and subsequent hearings, the court issued the rule, which also questions why the state should not be directed to appoint, train, and deploy caregivers or nurses for senior citizens aged 65 and above, as well as those with physical disabilities, under the Social Services Department’s social security initiatives.

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Furthermore, the court has asked why the National Human Rights Commission’s perceived inaction in investigating whether human rights were violated in Noor Jahan Begum’s case should not be declared illegal.

Petitioner’s counsel H.M. Sanjeed Siddique confirmed the court’s directives, noting that the respondents—including the secretaries of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law, and Ministry of Social Welfare, as well as the Director General of the Department of Social Services, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Inspector General of Police—have been granted four weeks to provide their responses. Deputy Attorney Generals Mirza Al Mahmud and Akhtar Hossain Md. Abdul Wahab represented the state during the proceedings.