HC passes order regarding bail for four female murder suspects

The High Court passed an order yesterday afternoon regarding bail for four women who have been on trial for murder for years. It granted bail to one, denied another and ordered a lower court to complete the trials of the other two within 90 days. Earlier, on November 30 last year, the High Court bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath issued a ruling asking why these four women would not be granted bail. On January 16, in accordance with a court order, the four were produced before the High Court along with their case records. After holding a hearing, the court said an order would be delivered later. Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee panel lawyer Advocate Ainun Nahar Siddiqa told Dhaka Tribune that Sumi Akter, who had been in jail since January 2009 for murder, has been granted bail. Two other women – Shahnaz Begum, in jail since September 2008, and Razia Sultana, in jail since May 2009 – were not granted bail because their trial proceedings are in the final stage. The High Court ordered that their trials be completed within three months or else their bail petitions would be reconsidered. Rani alias Nupur, who has been in jail since November 2009, was also denied bail because of the severity of the charges against her.