Advocate Abul Bashar, a former executive committee member of the Dhaka Bar Association, argued his own bail petition before a Dhaka court on Thursday after the judge asked whether he had a lawyer, but was ultimately sent to jail in an anti-terrorism case filed with Pallabi police station.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam passed the order following an application by the investigation officer. SI Saiful Islam of the prosecution department confirmed the matter.
Bashar was produced before the court at noon and kept in the lockup of the Dhaka CMM Court. His bail hearing began around 2pm, with his lawyers applying to hold the hearing in his presence.
At around 3:45pm, Bashar was brought into the courtroom, which became crowded with pro-Awami League lawyers taking selfies and making videos. As the noise increased, security was tightened and several police personnel were deployed.
Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqi then entered with state lawyers and pro-BNP lawyers.
“There is no environment for the hearing of the case. There needs to be an environment for the hearing. The hearing of the case will begin after that,” Faruqi told the pro-Awami League lawyers.
He asked everyone except those who had submitted vakalatnama to leave. Pro-Awami League lawyer Saiful Islam Sohag said: “The environment of the court will remain calm.”
At 4:30pm, the judge took the bench and asked whether Bashar had a lawyer. Standing in the dock, Bashar said he would conduct the hearing himself, submitted a vakalatnama and began his arguments.
Bashar said that at around 10:30pm on Wednesday, while returning home through Pallabi’s Section 11, he stopped at a pharmacy to buy milk for his 22-month-old child. As he had no money, he was going to withdraw money from bKash when three or four people blocked and beat him over an argument about drugs. Local people rescued him and called 999.
“I became a lawyer in 2016. I have never behaved disrespectfully with anyone. I regularly practise in court. I want justice from you [the judge],” he said.
Omar Faruk Faruqi opposed bail, alleging Bashar was identified by local people as being involved in a procession where slogans were chanted against the government and fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bashar said the allegation could be checked through videos, screenshots and location data, adding that “they did not find anything of any kind against me.”
Faruqi later said the public identified and handed Bashar over to police before police identified him.
The court rejected Bashar’s bail petition and ordered him sent to jail.
According to the case details, Awami League leaders and activists brought out a procession in the Pallabi metro rail area at around 6:30am on July 31. SI Sohan Molla of Pallabi police station filed the anti-terrorism case that day. Bashar was detained by people in Pallabi’s Section 12 around 10:30pm Wednesday and later shown arrested in the case.
Pallabi police station SI Salahuddin Al-Mamun sought an order to keep him in jail.
