Appellate Division upholds bail of 61 pro-AL lawyers

It also ordered the disposal of the rule issued on their bail within two weeks.
An Appellate Division bench headed by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury passed the order after a hearing on the matter.

Senior lawyers MK Rahman and Motahar Hossain Saju appeared for the accused lawyers while Additional Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan represented the state.

On April 22, the High Court granted bail to the 61 lawyers accused in the case.

Following a state petition challenging the bail order, the chamber judge of the Appellate Division on April 29 stayed the bail until May 5 and forwarded the matter to the regular bench of the Appellate Division for hearing.

The case was filed against 144 lawyers affiliated with Awami League over attacks on members of the Dhaka Bar Association, vandalism of lawyers’ chambers, and attempted murder during the July movement.

Later, 115 of the accused secured eight weeks’ bail from the High Court.
After the bail period expired, 83 lawyers surrendered before a Dhaka court on April 6 and sought bail.

The court granted bail to former Dhaka Bar Association president Abu Sayeed Sagar and 18 female lawyers while 61 others were sent to jail as three accused remained absconding.

These 61 lawyers subsequently applied to the High Court seeking bail, reports UNB.