Minni's bail hearing ends, HC order today

The High Court on Wednesday fixed today (Thursday) to issue its order on Aysha Siddika Minni's bail petition in the case filed over her husband Rifat Sharif's murder in Barguna.

An HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman fixed the date after a hearing on the rule issued by the court earlier in this regard.

Advocate ZI Khan Panna and Advocate Makkia Fatema appeared for Minni in the court while Deputy Attorney General Md Sarwar Hossain stood for the state.

In the hearing, Advocate ZI Khan Panna said, "Minni is a woman and sick person. And police are saying that the investigation into the case is towards the final stage. So if she is granted bail it will not harm the investigation in any way and she will not leave the country. We are praying for her bail."

Opposing the bail petition the state lawyer said, "It is a sensitive case. Minni acknowledged her involvement in the murder in confessional statement given under section 164. She is one of the masterminds of the murder. She talked with the number one accused for five times after the murder. Does not it prove that she is involved in the murder? If she gets bail the investigation may be hampered."

Advocate Monsurul Hoque Chowdhury placing his expert opinion as an amicus curie (friend of the court) before the court said there was no charge of direct attack on the deceased against Minni and she may be granted bail as she will not leave the country, being a 19-year-old woman.

Meanwhile, complying with an HC order issued earlier, the investigation officer of the case appeared in the court yesterday with all documents.

On August 20, the same HC bench issued a rule upon the respondents to explain in one week as to why Aysha Siddika Minni should not be granted bail in the case.

Earlier the HC bench of Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman, a vacation bench, on August 8 denied bail to Minni.

Before that a Barguna court also rejected Minni's bail petition twice on July 22 and 30 respectively.

After being rejected in the trial court, Minni filed the bail petition with the HC through her lawyers on August 5.

Police arrested Minni on July 16 after a daylong interrogation and produced her in the court for remand the following day.

No lawyer represented Minni during the remand hearing in the court.

Rifat Sharif, a 25-year-old internet service provider, was indiscriminately hacked by a group of youths there.