A Narayanganj court on Monday denied bail to former Narayanganj City Corporation mayor and ex-senior vice-president of the district Awami League, Dr Selina Hayat Ivy, in connection with a politically sensitive case.
Judge Shamsur Rahman of the Judicial Magistrate Second Court of Narayanganj issued the order after hearing petitions for bail and prison division status.
While the court rejected Ivy's bail application, it granted her division status in custody, citing her previous official rank and social standing, in accordance with prison regulations.
Advocate Awlad Hossain, representing Ivy, strongly criticized what he described as discriminatory treatment of individuals implicated in the same case. He noted that Shamim Osman, also a convicted figure in the case, had been allowed to leave the country without obstruction, while Ivy was arrested from her residence in the early hours in what he called a "politically motivated and selective action."
Supreme Court lawyer Siddiqur Rahman also condemned the arrest, stating that Ivy had never engaged in anti-state or unlawful activities and was now being targeted due to internal factional conflicts within the ruling party.
Dr Ivy was arrested around dawn on Friday from her family home 'Chunka Kutir' in the Deobhog area of Narayanganj. Later that morning, she was produced before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Moinuddin Kadir, who ordered her to be placed in judicial custody. She was subsequently transferred to Kashimpur Women's Central Jail in Gazipur.
