A High Court bench yesterday declined to hear the progress of investigation as well as the bail pleas of three suspects in the journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi murder case, citing that they had no jurisdiction on the matter.
The bench of Justice Md Shawkat Hossain and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam also left the matter out of its cause list and asked the defence lawyer to place the petitions before a bench that had the required authority.
The court also said they could hear the matter only if the chief justice ordered them to do so.
After the refusal, SM Masud Hossain, lawyer of the bail seekers, told the Dhaka Tribune that he would file an application so that the chief justice could fix a bench that would hear the bail pleas.
On February 18, the High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Ullah ordered the investigating officer in the case to appear before it yesterday and brief them about recent developments.
It passed the order during a hearing on the bail petitions of Bakul Miah, Rafiqul Islam and Kamrul – three suspects in the case who were detained from September 3, 2012.
On February 24, Justice Enayetur Rahim joined the International Crimes Tribunal 1 as its chairman after which the defence had to move to another bench for bail.
Defence counsel Masud said he mentioned the matter at the bench led by Justice Shawkat and the court kept it in its cause list for hearing. Investigation Officer Zafar Ullah, an assistant superintendent of police, was present at the court around 10:30am yesterday in line with the previous order. Upon not finding the petitions file, the bench fixed 2pm for hearing.
Later Justice Shawkat and Justice Mustafa observed: “There are two segments of the hearing – the bail pleas and the progress report. We can hear the progress report but not the bail pleas. As the two issues are interlinked, we will not hear either.” The matter was dropped from the cause list by the bench. The court also said the IO could have presented his report had the petitions been placed at a proper court.
Sagar and Runi were found dead at their rented house in the capital’s West Rajabazar on February 11, 2012.
Following the murder, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police started an investigation of a case filed over the incident. Later the case was shifted to the DB, but the High Court, in an order, shifted the case to RAB for investigation as the former had expressed its inability to resolve the case.