Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to four accused of a case filed on charge of attacking on motorcade of the then opposition leader and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Satkhira in 2002.
The court, however, admitted their appeal petition for hearing against the lower court verdict that sentenced them for different terms of imprisonment.
The court also stayed the fine imposed on the accused by the trial court and called for records of the case.
The High Court bench of Justice Justice A S M Abdul Mobin and Justice Md Atoar Rahman passed the order after hearing the bail petitions filed by them.
Four accused, Advocate Abdus Sattar, Abdus Sattar, Yasin Ali and Tofazzel Hossain filed the bail petitions with the High Court on April 3 this year.
Lawyer Gazi Mohsin appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the accused, while Deputy Attorney General Sujit Chatterjee Bappi represented the state.
On August 30, 2002, Sheikh Hasina visited the house of a freedom fighter, after his wife was allegedly raped at Hizaldi village of Kolaroa upazila.
While she was returning to Jashore, BNP men kept a bus haphazardly on a road near the office of Kolaroa upazila BNP. As Hasina’s motorcade reached the area, BNP men launched an attack on it, according to the case statement.
At least 12 people, including AL leaders and journalists, were injured in the attack, said Satkhira court inspector Amol Kumar Roy.
On September 2 of that year, Kolaroa unit freedom fighters’ commander Moslemuddin filed the case against 27 named and 70 to 75 unnamed accused. The accused included several BNP leaders and activists in Satkhira.
On February 4 this year, Satkhira’s Chief Judicial Magistrate Court convicted and sentenced fifty people in the case. Among them, 34 convicts, who were present in the courtroom, were sent to jail the same day. The others are on the run.
