The Appellate Division on Sunday stayed a High Court (HC) order until May 8 that granted bail to Sohel Rana, the owner of the ill-fated Rana Plaza that collapsed in 2013 leaving 1,138 RMG workers dead, in a murder case over the deadly incident in Savar. Chamber Judge Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by the state seeking a stay order in this regard. Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain and Assistant Attorney General Saiful Islam represented the state while former Food Minister Advocate Kamrul Islam stood for the accused. On that day (May 8), the regular bench of the Appellate Division will hold a hearing upon a petition to be submitted by the state, Assistant Attorney  General Saiful said. Earlier on April 6, a High Court bench granted bail to Rana in the case. The HC bench of Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Shahed Nuruddin granted bail to Rana declaring  the HC rule in this regard valid. Advocate-on-record Sufia Khatun, on behalf of the state, filed a petition seeking a stay on the Rana’s bail order on Sunday. On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others. Read more: Rana Plaza Collapse: HC grants bail to prime accused Rana Trial in the murder case filed over Rana Plaza collapse began officially on January 31, 2022 by recording statements of the witnesses. On July 18, 2016, Dhaka District and Session Court Judge SM Kuddus Zaman framed charges against the accused and passed an order to begin the trial. But it got barred as most of the accused appealed to the higher court challenging legality of the order. On January 31 last year, after clearing the appeals, District and Sessions Court Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded the statement of plaintiff, then Sub-Inspector of Savar police station Wali Ashraf. Over the tragic incident then SI of Savar police station Wali Ashraf filed a murder case accusing the owner and others of dereliction and negligence in building construction. On June 1, 2015, Assistant Superintendent of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Bijoy Krishna Kar submitted charge sheet in the case against 41 people including the building owner Sohel Rana. A total of 594 people were made witnesses in this case.

The Appellate Division on Wednesday stayed the High Court order allowing Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader to perform the duties of his post. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division M Enayetur Rahim passed the order following an appeal against the HC order. The Appellate Division stayed the HC order till Monday for hearing in the full bench. Read more: GM Quader can perform party activities: HC With this order, the restriction on the activities of GM Quader  as party chairman has been upheld, said plaintiff’s counsel Barrister Sayed Ahmed Raja. On Tuesday, HC cleared the way for GM Quader to perform his duties as Jatiya Party Chairman by staying the lower court embargo till January 3 following a revision petition. Jatiya Party's suspended leader and former lawmaker Ziaul Haque Mridha filed the case against GM Quader on October 4. On October 30, Dhaka Joint District Sessions Judge court-1 issued a temporary embargo on the political activities of GM Quader. On October 6, several lawyers including Sheikh Sirajul Islam and Kalim Ullah Majumdar stood for GM Quader with a petition to withdraw the ban on his political activities at the court. In the petition, the lawyers also urged the court to lift the embargo to play his role as Chairman as per the constitution of the party that was dismissed by the same court on November 16. Read more: JP: Court clears petition on withdrawal of ban of GM Quader’s party activities Later, Quader filed a revision petition with the HC challenging the lower court order. According to the case statement, the party’s founder HM Ershad died on September 14, 2019. Quader declared himself as chairman of the party through forgery at a council on December 28, 2019 when a writ petition case was pending at the High Court. Later, Quader as party chairman fired several leaders including Ranga, Gazipur metropolitan unit’s advisor Ataur Rahman Sarkar and Organising Secretary Sabur Sikdar, among others, by exercising his power as per the constitution of the party. Besides, Ranga was also removed from the post of presidium member of the party on September 14 and Advocate Ziaul Hoque Mridha from the party on September 17. In the case, orders were sought to declare all removals from December 28, 2019, to September 17, 2022 and council as illegal while the next council of the party to keep stayed unless the HC writ petition is disposed of.

The Appellate Division on Tuesday revoked the bail order of suspended ACC director Khandaker Enamul Basir by the High Court in a bribery case. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division M Enayetur Rahim passed the order following an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against the bail order. The court also fixed December 5 for the hearing of ACC’s appeal in front of a full bench of the Appellate Division. Advocate Khurshid Alam represented the ACC in the court. On November 17, HC granted Basir bail for six months after hearing his bail petition. Earlier in February, Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 Sheikh Nazmul Alam sentenced two disgraced government officials to different jail terms in the high-profile bribery case. Read more: HC Chamber Judge asks Wasa MD to submit salary statement While Enamul Basir was sentenced to eight years in jail as the recipient of  Tk 40 lakh as bribe , ex- Deputy Inspector General of police Mizanur Rahman was given three years as the one paying the bribe in the same case. A fine of Tk 80 lakh was also imposed on Basir in the case. The appeal against that judgment was accepted by the High Court for hearing in April. On July 22, 2019, ACC arrested Enamul from his Darus Salam residence in the city for taking the bribe from ex-DIG Mizanur Rahman. On July 16, 2019, ACC director Sheikh Mohammad Fanafillah lodged the complaint over the bribery scandal. A private TV channel reported that Mizan gave Tk 40 lakh to Basir to get a clean chit in a corruption case. Enamul was suspended on June 10 of that year for allegedly leaking information, a breach of his job discipline. Mizan was arrested in the case on July 21, 2019. Read more: Defaming PM: Chamber Judge stays bail to Rajbari Mahila Dal leader DIG Mizan was an additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). He was withdrawn on January 9, 2019 following allegations of threatening a female news presenter of a private television channel.

The Appellate Division on Wednesday stayed the bail the High Court granted to  Sonia Akter Smrity, a Mahila Dal leader of Rajbari, in a case filed over posting ‘offensive’ content on facebook against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division M Enayetur Rahim passed the order after hearing the plea of the state side. The court stayed the bail order till November 7. The court also said that the hearing on the state’s plea will be on top of the cause list of the Appellate Division. Senior lawyer AJ Muhammad Ali and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared for the petition in the court while Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed for the state. On Tuesday, the High Court granted interim bail to Smrity in the case. Smrity, wife of Md Khokon Mia of No 3 Beradanga area of Rajbari Sadar, is a member of Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal’s Rajbari district unit and founder president of Rajbari blood donors club. Police arrested Smrity on October 4 in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for posting offensive status on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Facebook . Arefin Chowdhury, member secretary of Rajbari district Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote, lodged an FIR against her. On October 5, Judge Kaisun Nahar Surma of Rajbari No 1 Judicial Magistrate Court rejected Smrity’s bail plea and ordered to send her to jail. Read more: HC summons 3 Khulna lawyers to face contempt charges On October 26, Rajbari Sessions Judge Court also denied bail to Smrity which prompted her to seek bail from the HC. In her bail plea, Smrity requested the HC to consider her as a woman and a mother of two children. According to the FIR, the accused BNP activist made insulting remarks about PM Sheikh Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League, from her personal Facebook account in two separate statuses on August 31 and September 28. Read more: HC suspends Bangladesh Bank Assistant Director recruitment exam for a month “In the statuses Sriti wrote Sheikh Hasina threw abusive words to their leader Khaleda Zia, also prime minister of three times, while delivering speech,” according to the FIR. “No sound word comes out of her (premier) mouth,” it said Sriti wrote in the posts.  

A High Court decsion that earlier validated actor Zayed Khan as general secretary of the Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association (BFAA) has been stayed for four months. Justice Obaidul Hassan, chamber judge of SC's Appellate Division, passed the order after an appeal by actress Nipun Akter, the key election rival of Zayed. Read:Zayed Khan to remain gen secy of BFAA: HC The chamber judge also ordered status-quo over holding the post. Zayed's lawyer said that the actor can now continue in office as he has already taken oath. Advocate Ahsanul Karim and Nahid Sultana Juthi stood for Zayed while Barrister Rokon Uddin Mahmud and Barrister Mostafizur Rahman argued for actress Nipun. On March 2, the High Court cleared the way for Zayed to serve as the general secretary of the BFFA after striking down the decision of the Election Appeal Board of the association. Nipun again took the fight to the court and filed an appeal before the Appellate Division. Read: BFAA election: Appellate Division orders HC to settle Nipun-Zayed dispute The association election was held on January 28. Zayed was declared the winner for the general secretary post, after he defeated Nipun in a close contest. But Nipun launched a legal fight challenging legality of Zayed's candidacy and accusing him of vote fraud.

The Chamber Judge of Appellate Division on Tuesday felt embarrassed to hear bail petition of Rashedul Haque Chisty, son of former chairman of Farmers Bank’s audit committee Mahbubul Haque Chishty, in a money laundering case.