Torching of Buses: SC upholds anticipatory bail of 65 BNP men

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the High Court orders that granted anticipatory bail to 65 BNP leaders and activists including Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and Ishraque Hossain in seven cases filed for torching buses in Dhaka on November 12.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed seven petitions filed by the state seeking stay on the orders.

Deputy Attorney General Bishwajit Debnath represented the state while lawyer Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared for the accused BNP leaders and activists during the virtual hearing on the state's petitions yesterday.

Police filed the cases with different police stations in Dhaka against few hundred people including the BNP leaders and activists on November 12 and 13 after several buses were torched in the capital on November 12.

Following separate bail petitions, the HC on November 18 granted anticipatory bail to 120 BNP leaders and activists till January 5 in 11 cases.

The HC also asked the accused to surrender to the lower court concerned on expiry of their anticipatory bail. Later, the state filed seven petitions with the Appellate Division seeking stay on the HC orders.