Banani rape: SC suspends High Court's stay order on Raintree MD's summon order

The Supreme Court stayed a High Court order for six weeks that allowed the managing director of the Raintree Dhaka to skip a summon order of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) on Monday. The apex court's Chamber Judge Justice Mirza Hossain Haider gave the decision in response to a government petition just hours after the High Court put a stay on the summon earlier in the day. The government in its petition prayed for a stay on the High Court order. On Monday afternoon, an HC bench had stayed the effectiveness of the CIID notice for a month which asked the Raintree MD Shah Md Adnan Harun to appear before it on May 23 with the hotel's documents. The High Court also came up with a ruling asking the government to explain as to why the notice should not be declared illegal, following a writ petition filed by the managing director. The petitioner’s lawyer advocate Ahsanul Karim said the notice was issued on May 15 under  Section 166 (3) of Customs Act and under Section 9(3) of Money Laundering Act on allegations of keeping alcohol at the hotel illegally. However, any such allegations should be filed under the Narcotics Control Act 1990, not under any other law, he added. On May 13, the police recovered a total of 10 bottles of liquor from the Banani hotel after two female university students filed a rape case on May 6 with Banani police against Shafat Ahmed, Nayem Ashraf, Shadman Sakif, Shafat’s driver Billal Hossain and his bodyguard Rahmat Ali. Police recorded the case after a 48-hour delay. The plaintiffs said the rapists had repeatedly threatened and pressured them to withdraw the case. Shafat, son of one of the owners of Apan Jewellers, and his friend Nayem raped the girls at gunpoint and recorded the incident on a mobile phone. DMP Joint Commissioner Baten on May 20 said the accused had confessed to their crimes. Shafat and Shadman were arrested in Sylhet on May 11. Shafat’s driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali were arrested on 15 May while Nayem was apprehended on May 17.