The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has issued a stay until April 22 for a High Court verdict that acquitted Mohammad Shahed, the chairman of Regent Group, in an arms case.
The stay, issued by Chamber Judge M Enayetur Rahim on Sunday, followed a state petition challenging the High Court's decision to acquit Shahed, overturning a lower court's life imprisonment verdict.
Additionally, the Supreme Court directed the state to file a leave to appeal within this period against the High Court's acquittal verdict.
Previously, on Thursday, the High Court acquitted Shahed of a life sentence imposed by a trial court in an arms case filed approximately three years ago.
According to Shahed's lawyer, Shah Manjurul Haque, the weapon in question was not real, and the state failed to substantiate any charges, leading the court to grant the appeal and acquit him.
On September 28, 2020, Dhaka Senior Special Tribunal 1 Judge KM Emrul Kayesh sentenced Shahed to life imprisonment in the arms case related to the recovery of a pistol from his car.
The tribunal also imposed an additional seven-year jail term as a bullet was discovered alongside the firearm.
