The Chamber Court of the Appellate Division has stayed the bail of retired army personnel Hafizur Rahman, an accused in Sohagi Jahan Tonu murder case, and directed him to surrender within 24 hours.
Justice Md Rezaul Haque’s Chamber Court issued the stay order on Thursday. Earlier, on Sunday, a High Court bench comprising Justice Zafar Ahmed and Sathika Hossain had granted six months’ interim bail to Hafizur.
The bench had also issued a rule seeking explanation as to why he should not be granted permanent bail, directing concerned respondents to file their replies within four weeks.
However, state law officers claimed they were entirely unaware of the bail hearing. The matter came to light only after Hafizur was released from prison on the evening of Tuesday.
Following his release, TIMES of Bangladesh published a report on Tuesday under the headline: “Tonu murder accused quietly released on bail.”
The state filed an appeal against the bail order in the Appellate Division following the publication of the news regarding his quiet release from prison.
Following the hearing, the Chamber Court stayed the bail of Hafizur Rahman until 9 August and directed him to surrender. The Appellate Division also directed law enforcement agencies to arrest Hafizur if he fails to surrender.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) had arrested Hafizur, a 52-year-old retired senior warrant officer of the army, on 21 April from his residence in Keraniganj, Dhaka.
The victim, Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student of Comilla Victoria Government College, went missing on the evening of 20 March 2016 after going to private tutor at a residence inside Comilla Cantonment. She never returned home, and her body was later discovered in a bush not far from the power house within the cantonment.
The murder case has remained under investigation and legal proceedings for a long time, but returned to discussion following Hafizur’s arrest.
