A total of 23,865 “politically motivated harassment” cases have so far been withdrawn since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 in the face of a mass upsurge, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman told Parliament on Thursday.

While responding to a scripted question from opposition lawmaker elected from Pabna-3 Muhammad Ali Asgar, he also said the process to withdraw the remaining cases is underway.

The minister, however, said the government has no precise statistics on the number of harassment cases filed against leaders and activists of BNP and Jamaat across the country.

He explained that political identity is not mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) at the time of filing a case, making it difficult to determine such figures accurately.

However, citing information received from BNP’s central office, Asaduzzaman said from 2007 to January 11, 2025, a total of 142,983 “false and harassment cases” were filed against BNP leaders and activists.

“No official data is available regarding such cases filed against Jamaat leaders and activists during the same period,” he said.

The minister further said after assuming office, the current government formed a four-member district-level committee in each district on March 5, 2026, headed by the District Magistrate, to review and recommend withdrawal of politically motivated cases.

The committee reviews applications for withdrawal along with FIRs, certified copies of charge sheets (where applicable), and opinions from the public prosecutors.

“If a case is found to have been filed for political harassment, is not necessary in the public interest, and its continuation may harm the state, the committee recommends the case for withdrawal,” Asaduzzaman said.

He said to facilitate the process, a six-member central committee, headed by the Law Minister, was formed on March 8, 2026, to examine district-level recommendations and take necessary actions regarding case withdrawals.