A Dhaka court on Thursday rejected the bail application of Advocate Abul Bashar, a former executive committee member of Dhaka Bar Association, and ordered him sent to prison in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Pallabi Police Station.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam passed the order following an application by the investigating officer, confirmed SI Saiful Islam of the Prosecution Department.
Earlier, at around 10:30pm on Wednesday, local residents detained Advocate Abul Bashar in Section 12 area of Pallabi and handed him over to the police.
He was subsequently shown arrested in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act and produced before the court on Thursday by Pallabi Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Salahuddin Al-Mamun, who filed an application to keep him detained in prison.
Bashar was brought to the court lockup at Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court at noon. Although his bail hearing was scheduled for 2pm, his defence lawyers submitted an application requesting that the hearing take place in his presence.
Following court permission, he was brought to the dock at around 3:45pm into a courtroom packed with pro-Awami League lawyers, who were seen taking selfies and recording video footage for some time.
As a result, court security was heightened with several police personnel deployed inside the courtroom. Public Prosecutor (PP) of Dhaka Metropolitan Omar Faruq Faruqi subsequently entered the courtroom, followed by state counsel and pro-BNP lawyers.
At 4:30pm, the judge took his seat on the bench and inquired whether any lawyer was representing the accused.
Standing in the dock, Bashar informed the court that he would conduct the hearing himself, after which he submitted his power of attorney and commenced his arguments.
Presenting his defence, Bashar said he was returning home to his residence in Pallabi Section 11 at around 10:30pm on Wednesday.
He explained that he went to a pharmacy to purchase milk for his 22-month-old child and, lacking cash in his pocket, was heading towards a nearby shop to withdraw money via bKash.
At that moment, three to four individuals intercepted him, engaged in a verbal altercation with him over drugs, laid hands on him, assaulted him, and attempted to create a mob.
He added that local residents rescued him as he had lived in the locality for many years, after which a call was made to national emergency helpline 999.
Bashar told the court that he enrolled as a lawyer in 2016, regularly practices in court, has never misbehaved with anyone, and sought justice from the judge.
Addressing the court on technology, Bashar said in today’s advanced information technology era, his video footage, screenshots, or location data from the day of the incident until Wednesday could easily be checked to verify if he had attended any procession, adding that nothing incriminating was recovered from his possession.
Opposing the bail petition, the public prosecutor said anti-government conspiratorial slogans were chanted during rallies aimed at overthrowing the government, alongside slogans regarding absconding fascist Hasina.
He alleged that the accused was involved in terrorist-style activities and was identified and apprehended by local citizens while participating in a procession.
Faruqi further said that over recent days, slogans had been chanted to disturb national peace, and bomb explosions and cocktail blasts had taken place in several areas, including Gulshan.
The public prosecutor also claimed that several individuals wearing white shirts had gathered inside the court premises to scheme and create a mob, warning that granting bail would disrupt peace in the country.
Faruqi mentioned that the public had identified the accused and handed him over to the police before law enforcement identified him, urging the court to reject bail pending further action by the investigating officer.
Following the arguments, the court rejected the bail application and ordered Advocate Abul Bashar to be sent to prison.
According to case details, leaders and activists of Awami League and its associate organisations brought out a procession near Pallabi Metro Rail area at around 6:30am on 31 July, chanting conspiratorial slogans and spreading propaganda against the Government of Bangladesh.
Police arrived at the scene and detained several individuals, while others fled. Following the incident, SI Sohan Molla of Pallabi Police Station filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act on the same day.
