SC stays jail sentence of ex-chief judicial magistrate of Cumilla

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed till November 20 a High Court verdict that sentenced Md Sohel Rana, former chief judicial magistrate of Cumilla, to one month's imprisonment for committing contempt of court by ignoring an HC stay order on the trial of a case.
He was also fined Tk5,000 and ordered to surrender before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka in seven days.
Chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order following a petition filed by Sohel Rana, who has been attached to the law ministry as an additional district and sessions judge a few weeks ago, seeking a stay on the HC verdict.
The apex court chamber judge also sent the stay petition to its full bench for hearing the matter on November 20.
The SC chamber judge stayed the HC verdict on the ground that Sohel Rana offered unconditional apology to the HC, said his lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque. But the court did not accept the apology, he added.
He said there is no legal bar for Sohel Rana to discharging his duties as a judicial officer following the SC chamber judge's order.
Earlier on the day, a High Court bench sentenced Md Sohel Rana, the former Chief Judicial Magistrate of Cumilla, to one month's simple imprisonment and fined him Tk5,000 for committing contempt of court by ignoring its stay order on the trial of a case.
Sohel Rana has been ordered to surrender before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka in seven days.
The HC bench of Justice Md Badruzzaman and Justice S M Masud Hossain Dolon delivered the verdict after hearing of a suo motu contempt of court rule against him.
Later he was also granted bail in the case by the same HC bench. The accused judge in the afternoon filed a petition with the Chamber Judge's court seeking stay on the verdict.
Sohel Rana filed an explanation regarding non-compliance of an order passed by the High Court bench in a case. The High Court issued a contempt of court rule as it could not be satisfied with the explanation placed by Sohel Rana. After hearing the ruling, the High Court delivered the verdict on Thursday.
In the rule, the HC had asked him to explain as to why he should not be punished for committing contempt of court by ignoring its stay on the trial of a case.
Sohel Rana's lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque said the HC convicted and sentenced his client as he continued the trial proceedings of a case despite the HC's stay order on the case proceedings when he was the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Cumilla.

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