Appellate Division Upholds 18 Lakh Taka Compensation for Victim Receiving Degree After 13 Years

After a 13-year legal battle, Munshi Mahiuddin Ahmed obtained his LLB degree and has now been awarded 18 lakh taka in compensation. The Appellate Division upheld the High Court's ruling, dismissing the leave to appeal filed by Rajshahi University authorities. The three-member Appellate Division bench, led by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, issued the order on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

In 2021, Mahiuddin filed a writ petition in the High Court, demanding 30 lakh taka in compensation. Following a preliminary hearing, the High Court issued a rule on November 21, 2021, regarding the compensation claim. After the final hearing, the High Court, on August 3, 2023, ordered Rajshahi University to pay 18 lakh taka in compensation within two months, with an additional 5% annual interest if the payment was delayed. The university authorities filed a leave to appeal against this ruling, which was heard and dismissed by the Appellate Division.

In court, Rajshahi University was represented by lawyer Syed Al Asafur Ali Raja, while Mahiuddin was represented by lawyers M Shamsul Haque and Md Saiful Islam. The state was represented by Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque. Mahiuddin’s lawyer, M Shamsul Haque, told Prothom Alo, “The Appellate Division dismissed the university’s leave to appeal. The High Court’s order to pay 18 lakh taka in compensation has been upheld, and the university has been directed to pay within 60 days.” Rajshahi University’s lawyer, Syed Al Asafur Ali Raja, stated, “The Appellate Division’s order will be communicated to the university authorities, who will decide the next steps.” According to case documents, Munshi Mahiuddin Ahmed appeared for the LLB final year examination in 1985 from Jessore’s Shahid Mashiur Rahman College, affiliated with Rajshahi University. The results, published in May 1988, declared him unsuccessful. Mahiuddin applied for a re-evaluation of his answer scripts and later filed a declaratory suit in Jessore’s court in 1988. On August 19, 1990, the Jessore court ordered the university to calculate his results by averaging the marks of six papers, excluding the second paper, and declare the results within two months. Rajshahi University appealed this decision in Jessore’s District Judge Court, which upheld the earlier ruling on February 28, 1993. The university then filed a civil revision in the High Court, which was dismissed on August 8, 1999, upholding the order to declare Mahiuddin’s results within two months and noting his entitlement to costs for the prolonged litigation. On March 29, 2001, Rajshahi University published his results, declaring him successful and issuing his LLB degree certificate. In 2020, Mahiuddin sent a legal notice demanding 30 lakh taka in compensation, which yielded no response. He then filed a writ petition in the High Court in 2021, leading to the compensation ruling.