Over 1,300 under-trial prisoners released on bail in a day

A total of 1,349 under-trial prisoners got released from jail after they were granted bail by the subordinate courts and tribunals on Wednesday.

The courts and tribunals concerned granted them bail after virtually hearing and disposing of total 2,831 bail petitions in connection with criminal cases filed against the accused, Supreme Court Spokesman Md Saifur Rahman said in a statement yesterday.

With Wednesday's orders and release, total of 13,607 under-trial prisoners have got released from jails after they secured bail from virtual courts across the country in the last seven working days, he said.

Saifur said a total of 23,784 bail petitions of the accused were disposed of during this period.

The regular activities of courts across the country including the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court are remaining suspended due to ongoing rapid surge of Covid-19 outbreak.

Earlier, Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain issued some directives for the courts about dealing with urgent cases through using information and communication technology during the ongoing closure.