The High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail for six months to rights organisation Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman Khan in a cyber crimes case.
A bench of Justice Borhanuddin and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Adilur, also a Supreme Court lawyer,challenging an order passed by Cyber Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka on September 25 rejecting his petition seeking bail in the case.
The bench also directed the government and the police to explain why Adilur would not be granted regular bail.
Adilur’s counsel Asaduzzaman told New Age that the High Court order cleared the way for his release from the jail as he was not wanted in any other case.
Adilur is now in Kashimpur Central Jail of part 1 in Gazipur, Asaduzzaman said, adding that two or three days’ time might be needed to communicate the HC order to jail authorities for his release.
Supreme Court Bar Association president AJ Mohammad Ali and Asaduzzaman moved the petition while additional attorney general Momtazuddin Fakir opposed the bail petition.
On August 10, the Detective Branch of police arrested Adilur, also a former deputy attorney general, in front of his Gulshan house based on a general diary.
Metropolitan magistrate Md Nuru Mia on September 12 discharged Adilur from the general diary after the detectives filed an application seeking him to be discharged as specific charges were pressed against him.
Earlier on September 4, the Detective Branch pressed charges against Adilur and Odhikar director ASM Nasiruddin Elan for publishing report claiming that 61 people were killed in law enforcers’ action on Hefajat-e-Islam men in the capital on May 5 and early May 6.
In the charge sheet, the detectives claimed that the report was published with ‘false information and doctored photos.’
The Cyber Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka took cognisance of the charges against Adilur and Elan on September 18.
The tribunal judge, AKM Shamsul Alam, had also issued a warrant of arrest of Nasiruddin Elan as the police showed him fugitive in the case.
On September 25, the tribunal had posted for October 21 the hearing in the framing of charges. The tribunal had also asked the police to report by October 21 the execution of warrant for the arrest of Elan.
A metropolitan magistrate’s court had remanded Adilur in custody for five days for interrogation, but the High Court had halted the remand and ordered him to prison. The High Court had also ordered division facilities for him as per the Jail Code.
International and local human rights groups as well as different political parties had condemned the arrest Adilur.
The National Human Rights Commission expressing concern at the arrest and remand of Adilur had said that it was not acceptable that human rights activists would be made victims of harassment for carrying out their duties. Arresting anyone without specific charges is also unacceptable, it said.
-With New Age input
