SC to decide bail on Fakhrul and Abbas

Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas will have to wait for the apex court’s decision for their bail in the case filed in connection with the December 7 clashes between police and BNP men.
The Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday sent the state’s plea seeking stay of the bail granted to them by the High Court to the regular bench of the Appellate Division for hearing.
Chamber Judge Jahangir Hossain fixed Sunday next (January 8) for hearing on it. The court also ordered the counsels for the BNP leaders not to furnish bail bonds for them before the lower court concerned till January 8.
As a result BNP leaders Fakhrul and Abbas shall not be released from jail at least till January 8, said the lawyers of the both sides.
Earlier on Tuesday the High Court granted bail for six months to Fakhrul and Abbas in the above case, after fourth time rejection by the lower court.
The HC bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Md Riaz Uddin Khan passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Fakhrul and Abbas seeking bail in the case. It also issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain as to why the BNP leaders should not be granted permanent bail in the case.
Later the state filed appeal petition against the High Court order that came to the Chamber Judge’s court for hearing.
Lawyers Zainul Abedin, Mahbub Uddin Khokan, Kayser Kamal, Ruhul Quddus Kazal and others appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the BNP leaders, while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state.
Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas have earlier been denied bail four times in the lower courts.
The case was filed with Paltan Model Police Station on December 8, a day after the clash broke out in front of the party’s Naya Paltan office.
On December 7 last year, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office ahead of its December 10 rally.
Police later started three cases against up to 2,000 people over the incident. They also cordoned off the party office.
Law enforcers picked up Fakhrul and Abbas from their homes around 3:00am on December 9. They were shown arrested on charge of provoking party members to launch an attack on police in the Naya Paltan area.