The High Court (HC) today granted bail to Odhikar’s Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and Director Nasiruddin Elan, who were sentenced to two years’ of imprisonment in a case over a "distorted report" on the May 5-6, 2013 police action on a Hefajat-e-Islam rally in Dhaka’s Motijheel.

The High Court bench of Justice Md Imdadul Haque passed the order following a petition filed by Adilur and Elan seeking bail.

The court also suspended the order of their fine of Tk 10,000.

Senior Attorney General Mohammad Ali and lawyer Md Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan appeared for Adilur and Elan in the court.

On September 14, the cyber tribunal in Dhaka sentenced Adilur and Nasir for two years in a case filed under Section 57 of ICT Act.

Read: Fakhrul demands immediate release of Odhikar’s Adilur, Nasiruddin

This was the maiden case filed under the ICT Act.

In 2013, Odhikar published a report on its website that claimed 61 people were killed at a Hefajat rally at Shapla Chattar in the capital following a clash between the activists and law enforcement agencies on May 5, 2013.

Detective Branch (DB) Sub-inspector Ashraful Islam filed a general diary at Gulshan Police Station on August 10 of the same year. The GD was later registered as a case.

On September 4 of the same year, DB Inspector Ashraful Alam submitted a charge sheet against Adilur and Nasiruddin to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka.

Read: Odhikar’s Adilur, Nasiruddin get 2-year jail in ICT case

In 2014, the court framed charges against the two accused and ordered the trial to begin.

The court was supposed to deliver the verdict on September 7 this year after the arguments of the prosecution and the defence ended on August 24.

On that day, the court referred the pronouncement of the verdict to September 14 as its verdict was not ready.

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