The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today upheld a High Court order that granted bail to former jute and textile minister Abdul Latif Siddique in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury passed the order after dismissing a petition filed by the state seeking stay on the HC's bail order.

The apex court bench, however, kept stand over (waiting for hearing) for a week another petition of the state that sought stay on a HC order granting bail to journalist Monjurul Alam Panna in the same case.

The SC orders mean that Latif Siddique can get released from jail if he is not arrested in any other case while Monjurul Alam cannot walk out of prison until the apex court disposes of the state's petition against his bail order, their lawyer Advocate Ramzan Ali Sikder told The Daily Star.

Advocate ZI Khan Panna, Barrister Sara Hossain and Advocate Ramzan Ali Sikder appeared for Latif and Panna while Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and Additional Attorneys General Md Arshadur Rouf and Aneek R Haque represented the state during hearing today.

The HC on November 6 granted them bail in the case.

Earlier, on August 29, a Dhaka court ordered police to send Latif Siddique and 17 others to jail in the case filed by Sub-Inspector Md Amirul Islam of Shahbagh Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act.