A Dhaka court has rejected the bail petition of the 17-year-old boy accused in the death of construction worker Mehedi Hasan Mim in a car crash in Baridhara, with the judge saying his continued detention could send a “positive message” to children.
Dhaka Juvenile Court-8 Judge Md Abdul Moktadir passed the order on Sunday after hearing the bail petition.
“The boy’s release at the earliest stage would send a negative message to society. But keeping him detained could send a positive message to children,” the judge said.
State counsel Mohammad Sharif Uddin Mamun confirmed the bail rejection.
The case concerns the death of 24-year-old Mehedi, who was sitting on a footpath on Road 1 in Baridhara Diplomatic Zone around 5pm on September 22 when a speeding private car lost control and ran him over. He was taken to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
People at the scene detained a teenager who was in the driver’s seat and handed him over to police. Police released him into his uncle’s custody later that night after questioning.
Mehedi’s brother Moktadir Islam filed a case with Gulshan police on September 23, naming Akash Mark as the accused driver but not naming the teenager.
Following criticism over his release, police took the teenager into custody the same day and produced him before court on September 24, seeking his detention at the Child Development Centre in Gazipur.
The teenager’s lawyers later sought bail, saying the victim’s family had reached a Tk9 lakh settlement.
During Sunday’s hearing, defence lawyer Md Golam Mostofa Khan argued that the teenager was not driving the car and had only been inside it. He also cited the settlement between the families.
The state opposed bail, saying the case was serious and that the teenager was involved in the incident while the car was being driven recklessly. The prosecution also said he did not have a driving licence.
The judge referred to CCTV footage that allegedly showed the teenager getting out from the driver’s side and said police had found preliminary evidence of his involvement.
The judge also said releasing him could create the impression that someone could drive recklessly, cause an accident and still secure bail quickly.
The court subsequently rejected the bail petition.
