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Published : 12 Apr 2026, 02:10 PM
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the former speaker of the House during the Awami League government, has received bail in an attempted murder case over an incident during the 2024 Anti-discrimination Student Movement.
The court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossein granted the bail after a hearing on Sunday, according to Sub-Inspector Ashraful Alam of the Prosecution Department.
As there are no arrest warrants against her in any other cases, there is no bar to her release from jail, said her lawyer ABM Hamidul Mezbah.
“Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has no other arrest warrants against her. We will file a bail application. We hope she will be released from jail [Sunday] or [Monday].”
At the bail hearing, her lawyer Ibnul Kawsar said: “There is not a single word about Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in this case. Only her name is mentioned in the statement. Everyone knows about her qualifications.”
The lawyer said, “She is sick, a dying person. She has not been able to receive any treatment since Aug 5, 2024. She was in hiding. She had a heart attack in 2016. She had to go to Singapore for treatment every six months.
“But since Jun 11, 2024, she has not been able to go out for treatment. She has to take many different medications. They are not available in all countries. She is physically and mentally disturbed. She is suffering from different diseases. Her eyesight is slowly fading due to retinopathy.”
Ibnul said, “She does not have any of her prescriptions from before Aug 5 because she fled for her life. Some prescriptions were retrieved online. If she is not treated, her life will be in danger.
“There is no allegation of embezzlement, corruption or abuse of power against her. She is an impartial person. A woman. She deserves privileges. If she is not released on medical grounds, her life will be in danger. Accidents can happen at any time.”
Opposing the bail application, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi, appearing for the state, said: “She is an illegal MP, an illegal speaker. She has supported Sheikh Hasina and helped make her a ‘fascist’.
“When the protesters attacked the parliament building, she was in the underground of the parliament building.
“She is a suspect in this case. She was arrested. The case is under investigation. A suspect older than her is in jail. We are providing treatment according to the jail code. They are doing well with treatment.
“This is not a case of embezzlement or corruption -- indiscriminate firing was carried out to suppress the protesters. A person named Ashraful was injured in this. She is involved in this incident. I pray that her bail plea be rejected. If she is granted bail, the investigation of the case may be hampered.”
After hearing both sides, the court granted bail on a bond of Tk 50,000.
In the order, the judge said: “She is a former speaker. She was performing the duties of the speaker at the time of the incident. She is sick. Bail has been granted on a bond of Tk 50,000 until the police report is submitted.”
According to the case details, a protest was being held near the Azimpur Bus Stand on the afternoon of Jul 18, 2024 during the July Uprising when the protesters were attacked with weapons.
A bullet hit Ashraful alias Fahim in the eye. He sought treatment at different hospitals.
Ashraful has named 130 people, including Hasina, and 115-120 unknown others in a case on May 25, 2025.
On Apr 7, around 4:30am, the detectives arrested Shirin from her house on Dhanmondi’s 8/A Road.
That day, a court sent Shirin to jail after her arrest in connection with the July Uprising case.
The Detective Branch (DB) of police had petitioned for her to be remanded to their custody for interrogation for two days. Shirin’s lawyer had also moved the court for bail.
After a hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana scrapped both petitions and sent Shirin to jail.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved the parliament the day after Hasina fled the country.
Although constitutional rules dictate that the speaker remains in office until a successor takes the oath, Shirin opted to quit before that transition.
She originally entered the parliament in 2009 through a reserved seat for women and served as the state minister for women and children affairs before her elevation to the speaker’s chair.
Shirin made history on Apr 30, 2013, when she became the first woman to preside over the legislature.
Her tenure followed that of Abdul Hamid, who vacated the chair after his election to the presidency.
The former speaker held firm control of the parliament for over a decade, securing re-election after the Jan 7 national polls.
Her long run at the helm of the parliament ended on Sept 2, 2024, when she stepped down 27 days after the fall of the Hasina government on Aug 5.
