HC denies Fakhrul bail

The High Court yesterday denied bail to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case filed over the vandalism of the chief justice's residence on October 28.

However, it issued a rule asking the state to explain in seven days why bail should not be granted to Fakhrul.

The HC bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin issued the rule after rejecting the bail petition filed by Fakhrul, who has been in jail for 41 days.

During the hearing, the BNP leader's lawyer Zainul Abedin told the HC that his client was not in any way involved in the vandalism of the chief justice's residence.

"Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is an elderly person and has been suffering from different ailments, including heart problems," he told the court, adding that the other accused in the case, Shahjahan Omar, has already been granted bail, and therefore, Fakhrul is also entitled to the same.

Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General BM Abdur Rafell opposed the bail petition, saying that BNP members vandalised and torched the chief justice's residence in a pre-planned manner, centring the party's October 28 rally in Dhaka.

"Since Fakhrul had convened the rally, he cannot avoid the responsibility of such subversive activities and, therefore, should not be granted bail in the case," he argued.

Fakhrul, who landed in jail on October 29, in connection with the case filed with Ramna Police Station, filed the bail petition with the HC through his lawyers.His bail was first rejected on October 29 after he was produced before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rashidul Alam.

Then on November 22, a lower court had refused his bail.

A group of pro-BNP lawyers, led by senior counsel Zainul Abedin, appeared for Fakhrul during yesterday's hearing.