Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld its chamber judge’s order staying the High Court orders that granted bail to seven accused who were convicted in a case filed over the attack on motorcade of the then opposition leader and now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Satkhira in 2002.
A six-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice
Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after holding hearing on two leave to appeal petitions filed by the state against the High Court orders.
Earlier on May 27 this year chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique stayed the HC orders following a petition filed by the state. The chamber judge also sent the state’s petition to its full bench for detail hearing.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and additional attorney general SM Munir appeared in the court for the state, while Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan appeared for the accused.
Later Mr SM Munir said, “The Appellate Division upheld the chamber judge’s order staying the HC orders that granted bail to seven accused. At the same time the court directed the District and Sessions Judge’s Court to dispose of the appeal petitions filed by the accused.”
Following separate petitions, the HC on May 25 this year granted bail to seven accused who were convicted in a case filed over the attack on motorcade of Sheikh Hasina in Satkhira in 2002.
The accused who got bail are— advocate Abdus Sattar, advocate Abdus Samad, Golam Rasul, Jahurul Haque, Rakib, Shahabuddin and Monirul Islam.
The trial court sentenced Abdus Sattar and Abdus Samad to four and a half years imprisonment and five others to four years imprisonment.
The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order after holding hearing on the bail petitions filed by the accused.
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 under Satkhira district.
While she was returning to Dhaka BNP men kept a bus haphazardly on a road near the office of the 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 upazila unit freedom fighters’ commander Moslem Uddin 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 50 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.
