HC grants bail to former minister Latif Siddiqui in anti-terrorism case
The High Court has granted bail to former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Shahbagh Police Station in the capital.
The High Court bench of Justice ASM Abdul Mobin and Justice Sagir Hossain granted the bail today (6 November), confirmed Assistant Attorney General Ibrahim Khalil.
Following the order, his lawyer ZI Khan Panna said there were now no legal barriers to Siddiqui's release from jail.
Journalist Manjurul Alam who was also in jail in the same case was also granted bail.
Assistant Attorneys General Ibrahim Khalil and Al Amin Hossain represented the state during the hearing.
Ibrahim Khalil said the state would appeal the bail order before the Appellate Division.
Earlier on 4 September, a Dhaka court denied bail to former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui and journalist Manjurul Alam Panna in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act over alleged conspiracies to push the country toward armed struggle.
Earlier on 29 August, Latif Siddiqui, 87, Manjurul Alam Panna, 49, Dhaka University law Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon, 55, and 13 others were sent to jail in the same case.
According to the case documents, a new platform named "Manch 71" was launched on 5 August last year with the aim of resisting conspiracies to distort the history of Bangladesh's Liberation War.
As part of its activities, the group arranged a roundtable at Dhaka Reporters Unity on 28 August.
The attendees of the roundtable titled "Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh" were allegedly provoking others to destabilise the country through armed struggle and conspiring to overthrow the current interim government.
During the programme, a group allegedly stormed in, chanted slogans, shut the doors, tore banners, harassed participants, and confined several attendees, including Latif Siddiqui and Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman.
Police later intervened and detained 16 people. Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Amirul Islam subsequently filed the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.