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Published : 28 Apr 2026, 02:57 PM
The Appellate Division has upheld the bail of former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque in five cases, including the killing of a Jatiobadi Jubo Dal activist during the 2024 July Uprising and alleged forgery related to the caretaker government verdict.
The High Court had earlier granted him bail, which the state later challenged in the Appellate Division seeking cancellation.
On Tuesday, a five-member Appellate Bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury dismissed the state’s petition challenging the High Court’s bail order.
Senior lawyer Kamrul Haque Siddiqui and Advocate Motahar Hossain Saju represented Khairul, while Additional Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan appeared for the state.
During the hearing, the additional attorney general opposed the bail, citing the gravity of the murder charge and requesting a six-month extension to complete the investigation.
The court, however, rejected the state’s plea for a stay after hearing both sides.
Despite the Supreme Court’s decision, the former chief justice cannot be released immediately.
His lawyer Motahar Hossain Saju noted that Khairul has been shown arrested in two additional lower court cases, which precludes his current release.
Earlier, Khairul moved the High Court after being denied bail by lower courts.
On Mar 8, a High Court bench of Justice Md Khairul Alam and Justice Md Sagir Hossain granted him bail in four cases.
Then, on Mar 11, he also received bail from the High Court in the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) case. The state then appealed to the Appellate Division seeking suspension of those bail orders.
One of the five cases filed against the former chief justice is the murder case of Abdul Kaiyum Ahad, a Jubo Dal activist, during the July movement in Dhaka’s Jatrabari.
Among the remaining cases, one involves allegations of altering and forging the verdict that abolished the caretaker government system.
On Aug 27 last year, Supreme Court lawyer Mujahidul Islam Shahin filed a case at Shahbagh Police Station over this matter.
Earlier, on Aug 25, another case on the same allegations was filed at Fatullah Police Station in Narayanganj by former District Bar Association President and Fatullah Thana BNP General Secretary Abdul Bari Bhuiyan.
On the same day, Nurul Islam Molla filed another case at Bandar Police Station in Narayanganj on similar charges.
On the other hand, on Aug 4, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against him alleging illegal plot forgery and corruption.
On Jul 24, 2025, Detective Branch (DB) officers of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Khairul from his residence in Dhanmondi.
He was sent to jail that night after being shown arrested in the Jatrabari murder case.
Khairul Haque took office as the country’s 19th chief justice on Sept 30, 2010 and retired on May 17, 2011.
A week before his retirement, an Appellate Bench led by him annulled the 13th Constitutional Amendment, effectively outlawing the caretaker government system.
Following his retirement, the then-government appointed him chairman of the Law Commission in 2013, a role he held through several reappointments until his resignation on Aug 13, 2024, following the fall of the Awami League administration.
Soon after, multiple cases were filed against him.
