Munia’s death: HC declines to hear Bashundhara MD’s bail plea

The High Court on Thursday declined to hear the anticipatory bail petition filed by Managing Director of Bashundhara Group Sayem Sobhan Anvir in a case filed over abetting the suicide of 21-year-old Mosarat Jahan Munia.

The bench of Justice Mamunur Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman refused to hear the petition saying that it has no jurisdiction to hear any anticipatory bail during the lockdown, reports UNB.

A notice placed on the door of the courtroom in the morning reads, “Amid the current lockdown and Covid-19 situation, the court has ruled that it will not hear any anticipatory bail petition until further notice.”

During virtual proceedings, the HC bench said, “The issue of the anticipatory bail petition was included in the cause list by mistake. We have no instruction on hearing an anticipatory bail plea during the lockdown.
Therefore, the bench will not hear the petitions Nos. 13 to 27 in the cause list.”

As per law, the accused must appear before court physically for a hearing on an anticipatory bail plea but the accused could be connected virtually with the court during the virtual hearing.

On Monday, police recovered the hanging body of Mosarat Jahan Munia, 21, daughter of late Shafiqur Rahman, a freedom fighter of Monoharpur in Cumilla district, from a flat in Dhaka’s Gulshan area.

Following the recovery of her body, the victim’s sister, Nusrat Jahan, filed a case under section 306 of Bangladesh Penal Code with Gulshan Police Station around on Tuesday.

In the case, Nusrat Jahan made Sayem Sobhan Anvir, managing director of Bashundhara Group, the lone accused of abetting the death of the 21-year-old college student.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday issued a travel ban on Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir.

On Wednesday, Sayem Sobhan Anvir filed a petition with the High Court, seeking anticipatory bail in the case.