A Supreme Court lawyer has sent a legal notice to four top government officials, demanding the issuance of a special ordinance introducing the death penalty as the maximum punishment for insulting Islam or any other religion.
Advocate Md Zakir Hossain sent the notice to the law, justice and parliamentary affairs adviser, the law and justice division secretary, the religious affairs adviser, and the religious affairs secretary today (25 November) via postal mail, sources said.
In the notice, lawyer Zakir requested the both ministries to issue an ordinance within 15 days formulating a special law to address hurting religious sentiment. He warned that failure to do so would compel him to approach the High Court for further legal action.
The notice stated that Bangladesh is a country where nearly 90% of the population is Muslim, and the majority of citizens practice Islam through prayer in congregation and devotion to Allah.
It questions why an individual like Baul Abul Sarkar, who allegedly made derogatory remarks about Allah, should not face the maximum punishment.
It further argues that a stringent legal framework is required to ensure that no one dares to insult Islam or any other religions, stating that without such a special law, incidents of religious defamation will continue to rise.
"It is absolutely necessary to take measures so that one religion cannot insult another, and also so that people cannot criticise their own religion or their own religious community," reads the notice.