The full bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has upheld the stay order on bail to seven convicts in a case filed over the attack on motorcade of the then opposition leader and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Satkhira in 2002.
The Bench passed the order on Monday after hearing the state’s leave to appeal against the High Court’s bail order.
Attorney General M Amin Uddin was in favour of the state while Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon was on the side of the accused.
The convicts are lawyers Abdus Sattar and Abdus Samad, Golan Rasul, Rakib, Zahirul, Shahabuddin and Monirul Islam.
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The High Court granted bail to the seven accused on May 25.
Following the hearing of the state’s appeal against it, Chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC Justice Hasan Foez Siddique stayed the High Court order.
Besides, he sent the state’s petition to its full bench.
On August 30, 2002, Sheikh Hasina’s convoy was attacked on the Jessore-Satkhira road in front of the Kalaroa Upazila BNP office in Satkhira. After investigating the case, the police filed a chargesheet against 50 people, including former MP Habibul Islam, in 2015. According to the charges against the accused, the attack was carried out with the intention of killing Sheikh Hasina. Following the trial in this case, the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court of Satkhira sentenced all the accused (50 people) on February 4.
The verdict sentenced Habibul Islam and three others to 10 years imprisonment in several sections. The remaining 48 were given different terms (less than 5 years). Habib and other accused appealed to the Satkhira District Sessions Judge’s Court against the sentence. They failed to get bail there and sought bail in the High Court.
Source: United News of Bangladesh