Fakhrul's Bail Hearing On Wednesday

A Dhaka court has set the hearing of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul's bail for Wednesday (January 10). 

The court also accepted the plea to show his arrest in nine separate cases filed in Ramna and Paltan police stations, siad Fakhrul's lawyer, Syed Joynul Abedin.

Earlier Tuesday (January 9) morning, the BNP secretary general was brought to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court from jail. 

Joynul Abedin said that the bail pleas were filed for the nine cases registered in Ramna and Paltan police stations related to clashes during the BNP's grand rally on 28 October. 

The court initially set the hearing for today but later rescheduled it to Wednesday.

On 31 December, Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury set the date for Fakhrul's hearing hours after his lawyer Syed Zainul Abedin Mesbah filed a petition.

The defence lawyer told the media that the date for the bail hearing was set in the presence of the accused.

Previously, on 13 December, Fakhrul's lawyer applied for bail in nine cases in which he was not shown arrested, though his name was included in the case statements.

However, when the applications were presented to the court for hearing, the judicial court said it has no jurisdiction to hear the bail application until the investigation officer shows him arrested. The court advised taking the matter to the High Court in this regard.

Then, on 17 December, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed a writ in the High Court challenging the validity of the non-acceptance of bail applications in the nine cases.

Later on 18 December, the High Court ordered the judicial court to hear the bail petitions in nine cases against the BNP secretary general, for which he has not been shown arrested yet.

At the same time, the court issued a ruling asking why non-acceptance of the bail pleas should not be declared illegal.

On 29 October morning, police first detained Mirza Fakhrul from his Gulshan residence after deadly clashes rocked parts of Dhaka the previous day.