A Chattogram court on Wednesday granted bail to Seema Oxygen Plant Director Parvez Uddin Santu in a case over the death of seven people in a blast at the plant in Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila on March 4.  Chattogram Senior Judicial Magistrate Shahriar Iqbal passed the order, Jakir Hossain, an inspector of Chattogram court, said. On March 4, a massive cylinder explosion and fire at the plant in  Kadam Rasul area of Bhatiari union of Sitakunda left seven people dead and 30 others injured. On March 6, Rokeya Begum, the wife of Abdul Quader who died in the explosion, filed the case against 16 people, including three brothers, who own the factory. A seven-member committee was formed by the district administration to investigate the blast. Read more: Sitakunda explosion: MD of oxygen plant arrested The committee submitted its report to the deputy commissioner on March 14. Director Santu was also arrested on that day. On March 15, he was produced before a Chattogram court with a seven-day remand prayer. After hearing the court granted a one-day remand.

A court has sentenced 23 people to death and six to life imprisonment in a case filed over the 2012 murder of Rajib Sardar in Madaripur. Four others were acquitted. Additional District and Sessions Judge Lailatul Ferdous delivered the verdict on Tuesday. Public prosecutor advocate Siddiqur Rahman Singh confirmed the matter. The six jail convicts were additionally fined TK 50,000 each. According to case details, Rajib Sardar was hacked to death on September 1 , 2012. He was attacked with local arms over a past dispute. He died on his way to Dhaka for better treatment. His uncle Ali Howlader filed a case against 47 people. SI Rajib Hossain from Madaripur sadar police station, the lead investigator, pressed charges against 36 people. Twenty-two of them were present in court today as the verdict was read out. Four were acquitted, while three of them were deceased.

The Appellate Division on Tuesday dismissed the writs challenging the process of electing Mohammad Shahabuddin as president, and the validity of the Election Commission’s gazette in this regard. Appellate Division Chamber Judge Jahangir Hossain Selim passed the order. Earlier on 15 March, the High Court bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir dismissed the writs. Also Read: HC bench ‘embarrassed’ to hear writ petition challenging presidential election process Supreme Court lawyer MA Aziz Khan filed the writ petition with the concerned branch of the High Court on March 7. The Election Commission and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) had been made respondents in the writ petition. On 12 March, a High Court bench said it felt “embarrassed” to hear the writ petition. The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel was set to hear the petition. But it forwarded the petition to the chief justice for a decision, saying one of the bench members felt embarrassed to hear the writ petition. Justice Ahmed Sohel recused himself, saying he was a lawyer at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for five years, and the president-elect was a commissioner at ACC. On February 13, a gazette was issued declaring Mohammad Shahabuddin elected as President of Bangladesh under Section 7 of the Presidential Election Act, 1991. Mohammad Shahabuddin will succeed current President M. Abdul Hamid after his term expires on April 23.    

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) last night arrested Faridpur’s Saltha upazila unit president of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) for “attacking” family members of a girl who had earlier protested him harassing her. The arrestee is Roy Mohan Kumar Roy, 28. KM Sheikh Akhter, commander of Rab-8, confirmed the news of arrest this morning. The RAB officer said that Mohan was arrested from a bus terminal in Bhanga upazila of the district and handed over to Saltha Police Station later. Sheikh Md Sadik, officer-in-charge of Saltha Police Station, said the local BCL leader had been making advances to the girl, a student of a government college in the district, over the last four years, and she had been rejecting him. Following the rejection, Mohan and his associates allegedly attacked family members of the girl on March 10, he said, adding that the victim threatened that she would “commit suicide” unless she gets justice within the next 24 hours after the incident. The girl’s family filed a case accusing Mohan and others in this connection later, he said. On March 13, the victim’s family held a press conference at the upazila, demanding immediate arrest of the local BCL leader and justice for her. Meanwhile, the district unit of BCL has formed a six-member committee to investigate the allegations of attacks and harassment.    

A 25-year-old man was hacked to death at Gangni village in Sadar upazila of Magura district in the area on Monday night. The deceased was identified as Shahidul Islam, son of Badsha Mollah of the village. Officer-in-charge of Magura Police Station Jobbarul Islam said local AL leader  Abdur Rahman and Biplob Hossain, son of former UP chairman Nazrul Islam Montu, had a longstanding dispute over establishing supremacy in the area. Sahhidul Islam and Manik Mollah, supporters of Abdur Rahman, came under attack allegedly by the rival group around 8:30pm on Monday. The attackers hacked them with sharp weapons indiscriminately, leaving Sahhidul dead on the spot and Manik critically injured. Injured Manik was taken to Magura 250-bed Sadar Hospital. A clash broke out between the two groups following the death. Read more: Mirsharai Jubo League man hacked to death On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Three people including 2 policemen were injured during the calsh A case was filed at Magura Police Station in this regard, said the OC, adding that they have detained eight people from the spot.

Interpol has accepted the request letter sent by the Bangladesh police to issue a red notice against Arav Khan alias Rabiul Islam, a Dubai-based gold dealer and fugitive suspect in the murder of a police officer. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun revealed the information at an event in Chattogram on Monday. UNB couldn't independently confirm the matter.  Also Read: Ex-IGP Benzir denies knowing Arav Khan “We requested to issue a red notice against him. Interpol has accepted it,” said the IGP. “We are working on the issue. We can’t disclose the details at this moment,” he added. Also Read: Actress Mahiya Mahi has been arrested on specific allegations: Home Minister Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Saturday (March 18) that efforts were underway to bring Arav Khan alias Rabiul Islam, the fugitive accused in the police officer murder case, to the country through the international police agency Interpol. Also Read: Sakib and Hero Alam may be questioned: DB chief The minister said, "All efforts are being made to bring him back with the help of Interpol." A senior Detective Branch official on Thursday (March 16) said cricketer Shakib al Hasan and content creator Hero Alam who participated in the inauguration of Arav Jewellers in Dubai may be questioned for the sake of investigation.    

A case has been filed against a ward councillor as he allegedly tried to rape a woman in Natore's Naldanga municipality. The accused is Abu Bakkar, councillor of Ward-1 of the municipality and president of the ward unit of Awami League. On Sunday night, the woman’s husband, lodged a written complaint against Abu Bakkar at Naldanga Police Station. Read: 300 people sued over attack on police in Patuakhali Following the complaint, a case has been filed against the councillor under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, said Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Naldanga Police Station. According to the case statement, on Sunday afternoon, councillor Abu Bakkar went to the house of the woman and tried to rape her in the absence of her husband. Hearing her screams, when neighbours came, he fled the scene. "Efforts are on to nab the accused councillor," added the OC.      

Pro-BNP Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikkya Panel filed a writ petition with the High Court on Sunday seeking directions to form a committee to investigate police action on lawyers and journalists during the Supreme Court Bar Association elections.The petition filed by the pro-BNP lawyers would be placed for hearing by a bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Mahmud Hassan Talukder on Monday, said Pro-BNP panel president candidate Mahbub Uddin Khokon.In the writ, the secretary of the public security department of the home ministry, the law secretary, the registrar general of the Supreme Court, the inspector general of police, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the Detective Branch (DB) deputy commissioner and the Officer-in-Charge of Shahbag Police Station have been made respondents.Petitioners sought a rule on the defendants for their explanations over the legality of the police’s indiscriminate baton charge on lawyers and journalists on March 15 in the SCBA election.At least 10 journalists and lawyers were injured as police charged batons on them on the Supreme Court premises amid scuffle between pro-Awami League and pro BNP lawyers over the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election on March 15.Voting was held on March 15 and 16 amid the ruckus, violence, clashes, police action, and the allegations of ballot theft and tearing.Three separate cases were filed in this connection.Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad, the pro-Awami League lawyers’ panel, won all the 14 posts of the executive committee of the SCBA polls.

A case was filed accusing at least 300 unidentified people in connection with the attack on police during allegedlt from the processions of two factions of Awami League during the celebration of the 103rd birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Pathuakhali’s Bauphal upazila on Friday.   Md Moniruzzaman, a sub inspector of Bauphla police station, lodged the case in this connection on Friday night, the police station’s officer-in-charge Md Al Mamun said. Earlier on Friday morning, at least 20 activists of Awami League were injured in the clash between its two factions during celebration of the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation and National Children’s Day. Of them, Bauphal upazila unit AL General Secretary and Upazila Parishad Chairman Abdul Motaleb Hawlader was sent to Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital with serious injury. On the occasion of the Bangabandhu’s birthday, local AL lawmaker ASM Feroz, Bauphal upazila unit AL General Secretary and Upazila Parishad Chairman Abdul Motaleb Hawlader and district unit AL Joint General Secretary and Bauphal municipal Mayor Ziaul Hoque Jewel announced separate programmes.  Of them, Feroz and Motaleb called the programme at the same place and time. Motaleb and his followers brought out a procession around 11:00am. Read more: Banganbandhu’s birth anniversary: 20 injured in Awami League’s infighting in Patuakhali Police obstructed the procession in front of upazila parishad gate when it was marching towards the party office. Suddenly, several hundred supporters of Jubo League leader Faisal Ahmed Monir, also nephew of Feroz, attacked Motaleb and his men with sharp weapons when an altercation broke out between police and him. Supporters of Motaleb allegedly attacked cops during the clash. Law enforcers fired at least 7-8 rounds of rubber bullet to bring the situation under control.

The High Court (HC) on Thursday declared the decision to award performance bonuses to employees of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa as illegal. An HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo delivered the verdict after hearing a writ petition. Counsel Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented the petitioner, lawyers AM Masum and Syed Mahshib Hossain stood for Dhaka Wasa and Deputy Attorney General Arobinda Kumar Roy represented the state during the hearing in the court. Lawyer Jyotirmoy said architect Mobasher Hossain, on behalf of Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB), filed the writ petition challenging the legality of Dhaka Wasa's decision to award performance bonus to its employees and increase water tariff willingly on July 31 last year. On August 16, the HC imposed an embargo on the awarding performance bonus to its employees for three months during a primary hearing of the writ. Apart from this, the court issued a rule to explain why it won’t be illegal to increase water tariff without formatting any policy. Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives secretary, Dhaka Wasa board, Dhaka Wasa chairman, managing director, chief executive officer and others were asked to reply to the rule within four weeks. A petition was also submitted to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court seeking a stay order on the HC rule, but it was rejected. On October 11, the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division directed to dispose of the writ petition by keeping the HC order unchanged. On November 16, Barrister AM Masum, on behalf of the Wasa, submitted an affidavit stating that the performance bonuses to its employees were given eight times since the 2011-2012 fiscal year (FY).   A huge amount of bonus money was given to the Wasa staffers for the last few years. Of them, four bonuses were given to them for FY 2019-2020 while three for FY 2020-2021. According to section 22 of the Wasa Act, the water tariff can be increased by five percent with consent from the board without formatting any policy due to inflation. Besides, the Wasa can award performance bonuses to its staffers as per Employment Regulations-2020. The authorities of the Wasa have increased the water tariff for 15 times since 2009.