BANGLADESH NEWS
The High Court on Sunday granted ad-interim bail for six weeks to five opposition lawmakers accused of torching a vehicle during hartal hours on April 29.
The court also issued a rule upon the government to explain in a week why the other accused including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir should not be granted bail in the case.
The five leaders who secured bail are: BNP leaders MK Anwar, barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anne; Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Oli Ahmed and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) President Andalib Rahman Partha.
The court granted the five lawmakers bail so that they could attend the budget session of the Parliament which is set to commence this evening, advocate Ahsanul Karim, a counsel of the accused, and MK Rahman, an additional attorney general, told .
The HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan came up with the order and rule after holding hearing on 12 separate petitions filed by the accused leaders seeking bail.
On May 7, the opposition leaders, who are now in jail, appeared before the HC for bail in connection with two hartal violence cases including the case filed for torching a bus near the PMO during hartal on April 29.
Following the bail petition, an HC bench on May 13 ordered 37 accused to surrender before trial court and the trial court sent them to jail.
After the bail petitions were filed Sunday, the HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan fixed Sunday afternoon to hold hearing on the petitions.
The counsels of the leaders filed 11 separate petitions on behalf of their clients Sunday morning four days after a metropolitan session's judge denied bail to 33 top opposition leaders in connection with an arson case.
On May 16, a metropolitan magistrate sent the leaders to jail rejecting their bail petitions in connection with the arson case.
Earlier on May 21, another Dhaka court accepted the vehicle torching charges against Mirza Fakhrul and 44 other opposition leaders and activists.
Police earlier arrested BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed and seven others in the same case.
Jamaat-e-Islami acting ameer Maqbul Ahmed and two others went into hiding after the case was filed.
ARSON CASE
Tejgaon police filed a case against a number of leaders and workers of 18-party alliance, including BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed; and Liberal Democratic Party President Oli Ahmed, hours after a vehicle was set ablaze near the PMO during hartal hours on April 29.
The same day, Ramna police filed another case against top leaders of the alliance for exploding a 'bomb' at the Bangladesh Secretariat that day.
After the cases were filed, the top accused BNP leaders went into hiding and turned up at the High Court on May 7 to seek bail.
But a two-member HC bench delivered dissenting orders on seven bail petitions.
Meanwhile on May 10, detectives pressed charges against 45 leaders and activists of BNP-led 18-party alliance, including the BNP acting secretary general in the arson case.
DISSENTING ORDER
Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, senor judge of a High Court bench, granted anticipatory bail to the accused until police submits their reports on the cases. He issued seven separate rules upon the government to explain in four weeks as to why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail.
Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder, the other judge, however, directed the politicians accused to surrender before the magistrate's court concerned within seven days and ordered law enforcers not to harass or arrest them during the period.
Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain sent the case to a third HC bench on May 10 for its final disposal.
The third bench on May 13 ordered the 37 accused to surrender before the trial court.
Accordingly, they surrendered before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on May 16 and the court sent 33 top opposition leaders to jail rejecting their bail petitions.
On May 21, a trial accepted the charges against 45 opposition leaders and activists in the case.
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