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Dhaka, 19 May 2025 : The Appellate Division has ordered that the bail granted by the High Court to 61 Awami League-aligned lawyers, accused in a case of assault and attempted murder of lawyers during anti-government protests, will remain suspended. The court also directed that the rule issued regarding their bail be disposed of within two weeks.
The order was passed on Monday by a bench led by Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam. Advocates MK Rahman and Motahar Hossain Saju represented the accused, while Additional Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan appeared for the state.
On 29 April, the High Court had suspended the bail of these 61 lawyers until 5 May and referred the case to the Appellate Division’s regular bench for hearing. Earlier, on 22 April, the High Court had granted them bail.
During the anti-discrimination movement, a case was filed against 144 Awami League-aligned lawyers for allegedly attacking members of the Dhaka Bar Association, vandalizing chambers, and attempting murder. Of them, 115 secured eight-week bail from the High Court. After the bail period expired, 83 lawyers surrendered before the Dhaka Metropolitan Court on 6 April. The court granted bail to former Dhaka Bar Association president Abu Saeed Sagar and 18 female lawyers but sent 61 others to jail.
AI/MR
