BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas have got permanent bail from the High Court in a case filed over the December 7 clashes between police and BNP men in the capital's Naya Paltan area.
The HC bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Md Riaz Uddin Khan delivered the verdict on Wednesday after hearing a rule issued earlier regarding their bail.
Both the leaders were released from jail on January 9 this year in this case, after the apex court had upheld a High Court order that granted ad-interim bail for six months to the BNP leaders.
On December 7 last year, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office ahead of its December 10 rally.
Police later started three cases against up to 2,000 people over the incident. They also cordoned off the party office.
Law enforcers picked up Fakhrul and Abbas from their homes around 3:00 am on December 9. They were shown arrested in a case filed on the charge of provoking party members to launch an attack on police.
The case was filed with Paltan Model Police Station on December 8, a day after the clash broke out in front of the party's Naya Paltan office.
Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas have earlier been denied bail four times by the lower courts concerned in the same case. Then they moved to the High Court.
Upon hearing their bail petition, the High Court on January 3 this year granted bail for six months to them and issued a rule regarding their permanent bail in the case. Later the Appellate Division also upheld the High Court order.
The apex court also asked the High Court to dispose of in 30 days the rule that was issued on January 3 asking the state to explain why Fakhrul and Abbas should not be granted regular bail in the case. After hearing the rule, the High Court on Wednesday granted them permanent bail.
Lawyer Zainul Abedin appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the BNP leaders, while Additional Attorney General S M Munir represented the state.
