Attack on Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade: SC upholds stay order on bail of 7 convicts
The Appellate Division has fixed 20 June for the hearing on the leave to appeal
The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the chamber judge order that stayed High Court's order granting bail to seven convicts in a case filed over the attack on the motorcade of the then opposition leader and now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Satkhira in 2002.
The court also directed state lawyers to file a leave to appeal in this regard.
The Appellate Division has fixed 20 June for the hearing on the leave to appeal, Additional Attorney General of the state SM Munir told Jago News.
A virtual bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order today after hearing the state's appeal.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state in the hearing while Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon stood for the convicts.
Earlier on 25 May, the High Court granted bail to seven convicts in the case.
The convicts are lawyers Abdus Sattar and Abdus Samad, Golam Rasul, Rakib, Zahirul, Shahabuddin and Monirul Islam.
However, the chamber judge stayed the bail order on 27 May.
On 30 August, 2002, Sheikh Hasina visited the house of a freedom fighter, after his wife was allegedly raped at Hizaldi village of Kolaroa upazila in Satkhira.
While she was returning to Jashore, BNP men kept a bus haphazardly on a road near the Kolaroa upazila BNP office. 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 2 September 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 4 February 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.
