250 bailed in explosives case

A Dhaka court has granted bail to over 250 suspects accused in the Pilkhana massacre case under Explosive Substances Act, reports bdnews24.com.
Dhaka Special Tribunal-1 Judge Md Ibrahim Mia gave the order after a hearing at a temporary court in the Central Prison in Keraniganj, said defendant lawyer Aminul Islam on Sunday.
Lawyer Parvez Hasan and Faruk Ahmed also argued for the accused while Prosecutor Md Borhan Uddin represented the state in court.
Public Prosecutor Borhan said: "We could not confirm the exact number of suspects who were granted bail. The defence or the state neither knows about it. But more than 250 suspects received bail."

"Apart from those who were acquitted in the killings case and the 15 whose sentences were stretched in the case later, the others who were acquitted in the case received bail.," he said.
The relatives of the accused took position in front of the jail's main gate and prayed so that their loved ones are granted bail.
A total of 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in a bloody mutiny at the BGB Headquarters in Pilkhana on Feb 25 and 26, 2009, sending shock waves around the world.
Following the tragedy, the Bangladesh Rifles frontier force was rechristened as Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB, and its logo and uniform were changed.
While mutiny-related trials took place in BGB courts, the killings were tried in conventional courts.
In the two cases - one for murder and another under the Explosive Substances Act - 468 BDR members remain imprisoned despite serving time for murder due to pending explosives charges.
The murder trial concluded on Nov 5, 2013, with 152 individuals sentenced to death, 160 to life imprisonment, and 256 to varying prison terms, while 278 were acquitted.
The High Court upheld 139 death sentences, sentenced 185 to life imprisonment, and handed down varying sentences to 228 others in 2017.