Dhaka courts hear record number of bail pleas in three days

The number of bail hearings at the Dhaka metropolitan and district magistrate and sessions judges' courts in cases related to the Student Movement Against Discrimination and politically motivated charges has surged significantly over the past three days.

Lawyers also noted that the large volume of bail applications has caused the postponement of hearings in other cases.

According to court sources, around 5,000 individuals were released on bail from these courts between 6 and 8 August. During this three-day period, bail applications were submitted in approximately 16,783 cases.

Court officials noted that the sheer number of bail applications within such a short timeframe has set a new record in Dhaka courts.

Gazi Shah Alam, former president of the Dhaka Bar Association, told The Business Standard, "Such a large number of bail applications is unprecedented. Those arrested in connection with the quota movement, as well as those detained in various political cases, are seeking bail."

He added that the courts are now granting the majority of these bail applications after hearing them.

On the night of 5 August, hours after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, President Mohammed Shahabuddin issued instructions to consider the release of those arrested during the violence related to the quota reform movement from 1 July to 5 August, according to courts concerned said.

Following this directive, the number of bail applications surged dramatically in various judicial courts, including those in Dhaka, starting from 6 August.

According to court sources in Dhaka, there are 47 magistrate courts under the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM), four courts under the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, 10 magistrate courts under the Dhaka District Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, and 18 session courts under the Dhaka District Sessions and District Judge Court.

These bail applications were submitted to these courts.

According to court sources, a total of 2,609 people were granted bail on 6 August, 1,468 on 7 August, and 738 by 5pm on 8 August.

On 8 August, bail applications were filed in 4,855 cases, bringing the total to approximately 16,783 cases over the three-day period, with 11,908 applications submitted on 6 and 7 August.

Additional Public Prosecutor Tapas Kumar Pal of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court told TBS, "Most of the cases were filed against students arrested during the quota reform movement. However, several cases involve individuals applying for bail in older political cases."

He noted that many of the accused have 10 to 12, or even 20 to 25, cases against them, and they have filed separate bail applications for each case. As a result, the number of bail applications is several times higher than the number of individuals seeking bail.

On Thursday, Savar Chhatra Dal leader Anwar Rafi was granted bail in six separate cases by the Dhaka District Magistrate Court. The previous day, he was granted bail in five cases being tried across four courts of the Dhaka District Sessions Court.

Rafi's lawyer, Mehdi Hasan, said that Rafi has been imprisoned for the past eight months and faces 11 cases. Bail applications have been filed in all these cases, and Rafi was granted bail within two days due to the court's impartial handling of the trials.

A bench assistant from the CMM Court in Dhaka, on the condition of anonymity, said while historically the number of bail grants in political cases was low, there has been a significant increase since 6 August, following the government's fall.

The assistant added that those granted bail are often released from prison the same day. Despite jail rules stipulating that prisoners cannot be released after 5pm, since 6 August, prisoners have been released as late as midnight once the bail bond is processed.

Additionally, court activities in Dhaka start before 10am each day, with bail applications being heard until nearly evening, with a break at noon.