SC stays blogger Rajib murder accused's bail

The Appellate Division has upheld a stay order on the bail for Sadman Yasir Mahmud who is accused of murdering Ganajagaran Mancha activist Ahmed Rajib Haider.

Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain-led five-strong bench issued the order on Monday after disposing of a petition filed by the State.

War crimes convict Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla’s life sentence triggered Ganajagaran Mancha’s movement, dubbed as "the Bangla spring”, at Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Feb 5 last year.

The movement demanded maximum penalty for convicted war criminals.

Haider, a blog activist and an active participant in the movement, was hacked to death 10 days later in front of his Mirpur residence.

Police claim Mahmud was in front of Haider’s house when the killing took place.

In a supplementary chargesheet, police named Mahmud, 20, a student of private North South University (NSU).

He was released on bail in the first week of June.

On June 11, Chamber Judge Hasan Foez Siddique stayed the bail and ordered Mahmud to surrender within two weeks.

At Monday's hearing, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the State while Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Moinul Hossain represented Mahmud. They were assisted by BM Ilias.

Ilias told reporters the Appellate Division asked the parties to move the High Court to hear the ruling.

It said the stay order issued by the Chamber Judge will be in effect.

Police on Mar 2 last year detained five NSU students over the blog activist’s killing.

Mahmud was nabbed on Aug 14 after interrogating the detainees and tracing their mobile call lists.

At that time police quoted him as saying that Haider was killed as he had made derogatory remarks about Allah and Prophet Muhammad.

Police on Jan 29 this year pressed charges against seven NSU students and radical organisation ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team’ chief Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani over the killing.