Dhaka: The government has announced the appointment of 1,051 executive magistrates nationwide to ensure the maintenance of law and order during the forthcoming national election. The Public Administration Ministry formalized this decision through a gazette notification released on Tuesday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the designated executive magistrates are set to operate mobile courts in their respective jurisdictions from February 8 to 14. The notification specifies that these magistrates will collaborate with law enforcement agencies, as well as mobile and striking forces, including the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Coast Guard, to uphold law and order and deter criminal activities during the national election and accompanying referendum.
The notification also outlined several directives concerning the training, joining procedures, and duty assignments of the appointed magistrates. Specifically, magistrates assigned to the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, and Dhaka divisions are required to attend a mandatory training session on February 5 at 10 am, while those in Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions will participate in the second batch training on the same day at 2:30 pm. These training sessions will be conducted via the Zoom platform, with meeting access details provided to officials through mobile and email.
Furthermore, the executive magistrates have been instructed to report to the respective district magistrate or returning officer by February 7. The district magistrate or returning officer is then required to submit a joining report to the Ministry of Public Administration by 8 pm on the same day. Additionally, district magistrates will delineate the jurisdiction and assign responsibilities to the appointed executive magistrates within their districts, as noted in the notification. The magistrates are also expected to regularly update the district magistrate on the operations of the mobile courts.