The High Court has granted six months’ bail to Sultana Parveen, former deputy commissioner (DC) of Kurigram, who had been jailed in connection with the case of Bangla Tribune journalist Ariful Islam Rigan being forcibly taken from his home and tortured in the middle of the night under the pretext of a mobile court.
Following her appeal against the court’s order, the High Court bench, comprising Justice ZBM Hasan and Justice Yusuf Abdullah Sumon, issued the order on Tuesday.
Senior lawyers Zainul Abedin, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal and Advocate Faiz Faizullah appeared on behalf of Sultana Parveen.
On the other hand, Advocate Ishrat Hasan represented journalist Ariful Islam Rigan, while Deputy Attorney General Sultana Akter Rubi appeared on behalf of the state.
Earlier, on September 2, the trial court had rejected Sultana Parveen’s bail application and ordered her incarceration. The order was issued by Mosammat Ismat Ara, Judge of the Kurigram District and Sessions Court.
According to court sources, Sultana Parveen had applied to the High Court for anticipatory bail on August 3.
The High Court, however, did not grant bail and directed her to surrender before the Kurigram District Judge Court within four weeks.
Subsequently, on August 21, Sultana Parveen submitted a bail application to the District Judge Court but did not appear in person.
Journalist Ariful Islam’s lawyer, Azizur Rahman Dulu, objected to her non-appearance and filed a petition in court.
After hearing all applications on September 2, the court rejected her bail request and ordered her imprisonment.
On the night of March 13, 2020, following the publication of a news report regarding the renaming of a government pond in Kurigram city after the DC, journalist Ariful Islam was forcibly taken from his home by three district administration magistrates along with law enforcement personnel.
He was taken to the eastern bank of the Dharla River with the intent of being executed in a crossfire.
He was later returned to the DC’s office, stripped and beaten.
Subsequently, in the name of a mobile court, he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and fined Tk50,000, with an additional 15-day imprisonment in default of payment.
Widespread protests and reactions across the country led the district administration to grant him bail the following day.
After being released on bail, Ariful filed a police report at Kurigram Sadar police station, naming the then DC Sultana Parveen, three magistrates and 30–35 unidentified individuals as accused.
Following the High Court’s directive, the police registered the report as a case on March 31, 2020.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) conducted the investigation and after five years, submitted a charge sheet to the court.
The charge sheet names former DC Sultana Parveen, then RDC Nazim Uddin, Executive Magistrate Rintu Bikash Chakma and SM Rahatul Islam as accused.
Sultana Parveen subsequently surrendered to the court to seek bail, while the other accused have yet to surrender.
