SC asks lower court to end proceedings by 6 months

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 of Dhaka to end the trial proceedings by six months of the case filed over the murder of film actor Sohel Chowdhury 25 years ago.

However, the Appellate Division upheld a High Court order granting bail for six months to Ashish Roy Chowdhury, the prime accused of the murder case.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order after dismissing a leave to appeal petition filed by the state for staying the operation of the HC order that granted bail to Ashish in the case.

Senior lawyers Shah Monjurul Hoque and Mohammad Sayed Ahmed Raza appeared for Ashish while Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state during court proceedings.

After the apex court order, Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque, counsel for Ashish, said there was no legal bar for him to get released from jail following the Appellate Division's order.

The lawyer also said that as per the apex court order tribunal judge M Ali Ahmed in a written explanation told the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court that his court could not finish the trial proceedings as the prosecution could not produce the witnesses before the tribunal for giving depositions in the case.

On October 29 this year, the apex court issued a show cause notice upon the judge of the tribunal, asking him to explain why his court could not finish the trial proceedings of the murder case even after the SC had ordered for doing so.

On February 7 this year, the Appellate Division directed the lower court concerned to finish within six months the trial proceedings of the case filed over the murder.