The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court’s bail orders granted to Selina Hayat Ivy, former mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, in two separate murder cases filed with Siddhirganj Police Station.
Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque issued the order.
Following the ruling, Ivy’s legal representatives said there is no legal bar to her release from custody.
Earlier, the Appellate Division rejected a state petition challenging bail granted to Ivy in five cases, including murder. It also vacated a chamber court stay on bail in another five cases and directed the High Court to dispose of the relevant rules.
On 10 May, the apex court dismissed the state’s appeal against bail in the initial five cases, effectively upholding those bail orders.
Court records show Ivy was arrested on 9 May last year from her Deobhog residence in Narayanganj city and was later shown arrested in three murder and two attempted murder cases.
She was granted bail by the High Court on 9 November last year, but the order was subsequently stayed by the chamber court following a state appeal.
She was later implicated in five additional cases. In those cases, the High Court on 26 February granted her six months’ interim bail along with a rule. The chamber court later stayed the order and forwarded the matter to the Appellate Division for hearing.
On 30 April, the High Court also granted Ivy bail in two separate murder cases filed with Siddhirganj Police Station. The state moved to challenge the order, but the chamber court upheld the High Court’s decision.
With the latest Appellate Division order, bail remains effective in all related cases, paving the way for her release, lawyers said.
