The High Court division of the Supreme Court is to deliver its verdict on Thursday regarding the bail petition filed by Aysha Siddika Minni in a case filed for the murder of her husband Rifat Sharif.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman fixed the date after concluding a hearing on a rule issued by this court on August 20 regarding the issue.
At the hearing, Minni’s defense counsel, Advocate Z Khan Panna, appealed to the court for granting bail to 19-year-old Minni.
She will not leave the country and will not interrupt the investigation of the case if she is granted bail, the lawyer said.
Deputy Attorney General Sarowar Hossain Bappi opposed the bail petition, saying that Minni had talked to Nayan Bond, the main accused in the case, over the phone before and after the murder of Rifat Sharif.
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She was involved in the planning of killing Rifat Sharif and therefore she may not be granted bail at this stage of the case, the DAG said.
As an Amicus Curie (friend of the court), Supreme Court lawyer Monsurul Hoque Chowdhury offered his opinion before the court, saying that there is no relationship between bail and investigation. Minni may be granted bail as she will not leave the country and she is a 19-year-old woman.
The High Court on August 20 issued the rule asking the government to explain within a week why Minni should not be granted bail in the case.
The High Court, on the same day, issued a show cause notice against Barguna Superintendent of police (SP) to explain why he briefed the media on the involvement of Ayesha Siddiqua Minni before recording her confessional statement in the Rifat murder case.
The High Court also ordered Barguna Sadar Police Inspector Md Humayun Kabir, who is investigating the case, to submit all documents on Aug 28—the next hearing date—to the court.
A day before Minni made a confessional statement during the remand, Barguna Superintendent of Police Maruf Hossain, at a news briefing said the wife of Rifat confessed to her role in the murder.
The judges ordered the government to provide a written statement about the briefing.
Rifat was hacked to death on June 26 on a Barguna road. A video of Minni's desperate attempts to save her husband went viral on social media.
The following day, Rifat’s father Dulal Sharif accused 12 people in a case for the murder.
The case took a dramatic turn after Dulal pointed the finger at Aysha Siddika Minni. She was interrogated at the Barguna police superintendent’s office.
She was later arrested as ‘initial evidence’ pointed to her involvement in the killing, said Barguna SP Maruf Hossain.
