The Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on matters related to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Md Khoda Bakhsh Chowdhury, has stated that action against model Meghna Alam was taken under existing laws and that no unlawful treatment was carried out against anyone.

He made these remarks to journalists on Tuesday (April 15) following a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat.

When asked about the criticism surrounding the arrest of model Meghna Alam under the Special Powers Act, Md Khoda Bakhsh Chowdhury said, “This law is indeed being used. It’s not that the law is inactive. Nor is this the only instance where it has been applied. It is not an unlawful act.”

He added, “If you`re asking about this particular case — there was an incident, a complaint was filed, and actions are being taken accordingly. The matter is now with the High Court. Once it is before the court, it becomes a sub judice matter. It’s not appropriate to comment further. Let’s see what the court decides.”

Khoda Bakhsh emphasised, “One thing is certain — the action was taken under prevailing laws. No illegal behaviour has been shown towards anyone. Since the matter is now before the High Court, we will respond there. Everything will be made clear in due course; it’s not appropriate to comment in advance.”

When asked about Law Adviser Asif Nazrul’s comment that the arrest of Meghna Alam under the Special Powers Act was not lawful, the special assistant replied, “We don’t know in what context the law adviser made that statement. You’d have to ask him directly. He hasn’t informed us of the reasons behind his opinion. If I respond based on your (the journalist’s) statement, the context may be inaccurate, and so might the answer.”

Model Meghna Alam, winner of Miss Earth Bangladesh 2020, was arrested by police from her residence in Dhaka. Two days later, she was sent to jail through a court order. The court subsequently approved a 30-day detention under the Special Powers Act.