The High Court has stayed the proceedings of ten more cases for six months and granted ad-interim bail to former minister Abdul Latif Siddique for his comments on Hajj and Tablig Jamaat.
After hearing on petitions filed by the former minister challenging the legality of the cases, an HC bench of Justice Md Nizamul Huq and Justice Farid Ahmed passed the order on Tuesday.
The court also issued a rule asking as to why those cases would not be scrapped.
The plaintiffs of the cases and the government have been asked to respond to the ruling with explanations by four weeks.
Of the cases, three were filed with courts in Dhaka, Chapainawabganj, Lakhsmipur while the rest seven were filed in Chittagong.
However, the former Awami League presidium member will not be released from jail as he is shown arrested in 11 more similar cases, said Deputy Attorney General Moniruzzaman Kabir, adding so far Latif has secured bail in a total of 17 cases.
Meanwhile, a defense lawyer claimed, he could be released on bail as in the cases the courts did not issue arrest warrants against him.
Earlier, the courts of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate and District Judge had denied bail in these cases.
All of the 28 cases were filed in courts of 18 districts as he 'hurt religious sentiment' at a views-exchange meeting with expatriates from Tangail in New York on September 28 last year.
Several courts issued arrest warrants against him in a number of the cases.
On November 25, 2014, a Dhaka court sent the sacked minister to prison after he surrendered before police.
He secured bail in seven cases from the High Court last month.