SC stays Regent Group Chairman Shahed’s acquittal in arms case

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today (14 January) stayed a High Court verdict that acquitted Regent Group and Regent Hospital Limited Chairman Shaheed Karim alias Mohammad Shahed in an arms case.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, passed the order after hearing an appeal filed by the state seeking a stay on the High Court order.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state while senior lawyer SM Shahjahan and advocate Shah Manjurul Haque moved for Shaheed during the hearing.

The chamber judge issued the stay order on the High Court verdict till 22 April, lawyers said.

The court also directed the state counsel to file a leave to appeal petition challenging the High Court verdict.

Shahed was sentenced to life imprisonment by the judicial court in the case.

On 11 January, the High Court acquitted Shahed in the case.

On 15 July 2020, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained Shahed from the border area of Satkhira on various charges of fraud during the coronavirus pandemic. Later, he was brought to Dhaka by helicopter.

On 18 July of the same year, the Detective Branch (DB) of police went to Uttara on a drive taking Shahed with them and seized a loaded pistol and illegal drugs from a car that was used by Shahed. SM Gaffarul Alam, inspector at the DB, then filed a case against Shahed at Uttara West police station under the Arms Act.

On 16 September 2020, pleading innocence in the arms case, Shahed sought justice from court.

On 18 September, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu and Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash Kumar Pal demanded the maximum sentence, life imprisonment, for Shahed in the case.