The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld its chamber judge’s order that stayed a High Court (HC) order granting a four-month bail to seven convicts in a case filed over the attack on the then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade in Satkhira in 2002.
An Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, delivered the order on Monday (June 21), disposing of leave to appeal pleas filed by the state against the High Court order.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin moved for the state, while Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon stood for the accused.
Earlier on May 26, the HC bench of Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam and Justice Iqbal Kabir granted four months’ bail to seven accused in the case. Later, on May 27, chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Fayez Siddiqui stayed the HC order until May 30 in response to a petition filed by the state. The chamber judge also asked the state side to file leave to appeal petitions.
The seven convicts are Abdus Sattar, Abdus Samad, Golan Rasul, Rakib, Zahirul, Shahabuddin and Monirul Islam.
Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade was attacked on August 30, 2002 in front of the Kalaroa Upazila BNP office in Satkhira.
Later, Kalaroa Upazila Freedom Fighter Commander Moslem Uddin filed the case over the matter on the same day.
On February 4 this year, Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Satkhira convicted and sentenced 50 people in the case. Of them, 34 convicts who were present in the courtroom and they were sent to jail the same day. The others are still on the run.
