SC stays bail order for AL chief until Aug 14

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The Appellate Division Thursday stayed until August 14 the "entire order" of the High Court (HC) that granted bail to detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in an extortion case, reports bdnews24.com
The apex court also issued an instruction for an early disposal of the writ petition for the Awami League (AL) chief, pending with the High Court.
A six-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Md Ruhul Amin made the stay order Thursday morning after the government filed an appeal against the High Court verdict.
Attorney general Fida M Kamal said that the order by the Appellate Division means the case against Hasina may go on at the trial court.
The legal battle raged over the government's decision to take the extortion case under the cover of emergency powers rules.
On July 30, the HC granted Hasina bail in the Tk 30 million extortion case and stayed its proceedings under the emergency powers rules.
The HC also gave the government two weeks' time to explain why the extortion case would not be excluded from the jurisdiction of the emergency powers rules.
Thursday's stay order came a day after a full-court hearing by the Appellate Division of the government appeal.
Meanwhile another report adds: the AL was disappointed, but not upset, with the Supreme Court verdict.
"We are disappointed with the verdict, yet we are not upset. The Appellate Division has not cancelled the HC order. The Appellate Division will hand down the final verdict on August 14," acting Awami League president Zillur Rahman said to reporters.
"AL has faith in the law. The party leaders and activists are sanguine that the Appellate Division verdict will go in favour of our chief," Zillur said.
Meanwhile, the HC Thursday deferred by a week the hearing on AL chief Sheikh Hasina's appeal for cancelling the Meghnaghat power project corruption case.
The HC bench of Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan made the postponement until August 8 after hearing an appeal for time extension by Hasina's lawyers.
Her lawyers advocate Abdul Matin Khasru and barrister Fazle Nur Taposh told the court that they needed time since senior counsel barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud had returned the case file and new lawyers would have to be engaged.
Deputy attorney general Abdur Rouf Miah opposed the time extension prayer saying more time had been granted only in the preceding week.
The court said there was no need to defer hearing as it would hear a senior or a junior lawyer equally and impartially.
The court however granted one week's time when the lawyers again asked for two weeks' time.
Md Golam Mostafa of the now-defunct Anti-Corruption Bureau filed a corruption case against the former power minister Rafiqul Islam on December 12, 2001 with Ramna Police Station on charges of corruption in setting up Meghnaghat power project.
The case details said Rafiq had then caused the government to lose Tk 17.90 lakh through adopting unfair means.
The bureau pressed charges against the ex-minister, Sheikh Hasina and two others on October 14, 2002.
Hasina filed a writ appeal with the High Court in 2002 seeking cancellation of the case against her.