BANGLADESH

The 25 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused of exploding 'bombs' at secretariat secured an anticipatory bail from the High Court on Monday.

Justice Mohammad Anwarul Haque, judge of a third bench of the HC, granted them bail till submission of the charge sheet in the case.

The case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station against 28 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance in connection with exploding 'bombs' at the Bangladesh Secretariat during the April 29 shutdown.

Among the accused, 25 secured the bail as they appeared before the HC bench around 10:30am for bail.

On May 7, two HC judges delivered dissenting orders on their bail petitions compelling the chief justice to sent the petition to a third bench.

Earlier on Sunday, the HC bench of Justice Md Anwarul Haque ordered the alliance leaders to surrender before the lower court by May 16 in connection with a case filed for torching a vehicle near the Prime Minister’s Office during the April 29 hartal.

The HC also ordered the law enforcers not to arrest or harass the accused until they appear before the lower court on May 16.

DISSENTING ORDER

On May 10, Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain sent the bail petition to the third bench of the HC since two judges of a division bench earlier passed dissenting order on the petition.

Earlier on May 7, a two-member HC bench delivered dissenting orders on seven separate bail petitions submitted by around 30 accused leaders, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in the cases filed for blasts and arson during the April 29 shutdown.

Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, the senior judge of the bench, granted anticipatory bail to the accused till submission of police reports in the cases, which were filed with Tejgaon and Shahbagh police stations.

He also issued seven separate rules upon the government to explain in three weeks why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail.

Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder, the other judge, however, directed the accused politicians to surrender before the magistrate's court concerned within seven days and ordered law enforcers not to harass or arrest them during that period.

The two judges had recently sent the bail petitions along with their orders to the chief justice.

TORCHING CASE

In another development on May 13, a Dhaka court fixed May 21 to decide whether it will indict Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 44 other leaders and activists of the 18-party alliance in the vehicle torching case.

Earlier on May 10, inspector of the Detective Branch of Police Nurul Amin, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against 45 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, including Fakhrul, in the case.