Published : 09 Apr 2023, 04:45 PM
Updated : 09 Apr 2023, 04:45 PM
The Supreme Court’s chamber judge has suspended the bail order of Sohel Rana, the owner of Rana Plaza, which collapsed in 2013 killing at least 1,135 people in one of the worst industrial disasters in the world.
Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique issued the suspension order on Sunday after setting May 8 for the hearing of a petition by the state before a full bench of the Appellate Division, said defence lawyer Qamrul Islam.
Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi, who argued for the state at the chamber judge’s court, said Rana will remain in jail until the hearing.
Rana secured bail from a High Court division bench last Thursday, which in May 2022 issued a rule asking why he would not be granted bail.
The news of the bail drew much media attention, domestically and internationally, as Bangladesh prepares to observe the 10th anniversary of the worst man-made disaster in the country’s history later this month.
Rana was arrested five days after the disaster and was accused in several other cases over charges related to irregularities in construction and corruption.
Earlier in the day, the attorney general's office filed the petition with the Appellate Division challenging the High Court ruling.
Sarwar said the state objected to the bail ruling on the ground that Rana does not qualify to be granted bail based on the seriousness of the allegations against him.
In the case over the deaths filed by Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf at Savar Police Station, the accused include Rana’s father, Abdul Khaleque, mother Marzina Begum and the then mayor of Savar Municipality, Md Refatullah.
The trial started in July 2018 after police named 41 people in the charge sheet.
In another case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, Rana was sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
On Thursday, Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Mohammad Ali granted the bail after holding a hearing on a rule that questioned earlier why Sohel Rana should not be granted bail in the case.
After securing Rana’s bail, defence lawyer Qamrul argued in front of journalists that his client has been languishing in jail because of the slow proceedings of the trial court. In the 10 years since Rana’s arrest, testimonies of only 35 witnesses out of 594 have been recorded, he said.
Rana, according to Qamrul, was the only defendant still in jail during the trial process. The lawyer said the other 37 accused have already secured bail, adding that his client had secured bail in the remaining five to seven cases from trial courts and the High Court.
At least 1,135 people were killed and over 2,500 others injured as the nine-storey building, which housed multiple garments factories, collapsed in Savar on April 24, 2013.
