The High Court (HC) has granted bail to journalist Shakil Ahmed in five cases and his wife, journalist Farzana Rupa, in six cases.
A HC bench comprising Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher passed the order on Monday after hearings on separate petitions.
In one case each, however, the court issued a rule instead of granting bail, meaning the couple will not be released immediately, lawyers said.
Shakil and Rupa had filed 13 bail petitions.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua argued for bail, while Deputy Attorney General Ashikuzzaman Nazrul and Assistant Attorney General Md Al Amin represented the state.
On 31 August 2024, the court sent them to jail in a case filed over the murder of garment worker Rubel in Adabor Police Station area during July uprising. They had been detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 21 August that year.
At the time, Shakil was serving as chief of news and Rupa as chief reporter at Ekattor TV. The channel removed them from their posts on 8 August, three days after the fall of the Awami League government.
Rupa is accused in one case in Mirpur, four in Jatrabari, one in Mohammadpur, and one in Tejgaon. In the Mohammadpur attempted murder case, she is the sole accused. Shakil is accused in the remaining cases.
