HC grants bail to Rana Plaza owner
Deputy Attorney General Mohiuddin Dewan, however, said the state will challenge the bail order in the Appellate Division
The High Court has granted bail to Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana in a murder case filed in connection with the death of 1,135 garment workers as the building collapsed nearly a decade ago.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Shahed Nuruddin handed down the verdict on Thursday, upholding the previous rule in favour of Sohel Rana's bail.
Confirming the news to TBS, Sohel Rana's lawyer Kamrul Islam said, "He [Sohel Rana] is on bail in all the cases. Now if the state does not go to the Appellate Division and take a stay order on today's order, there is no obstacle to his release."
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When contacted, Deputy Attorney General Mohiuddin Dewan, who represented the state, said the state will challenge the bail order in the chamber court. "There are more than 500 witnesses in the case and 35 of them have given their testimony."
On 24 April 2013, one of the world's worst industrial accidents occurred when the eight-storey Rana Plaza adjacent to the Savar bus stand collapsed, leaving 1,135 people killed and thousands of others injured.
Following the incident, Savar police station Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf filed a case over "deaths in negligence" against 21, including Sohel Rana. After the investigation, the number of accused increased to 41 in the charge sheet submitted in mid-2015. The case is now at the hearing stage in the District and Sessions Judge Court of Dhaka.
On 12 November 2020, Sohel Rana's bail application was rejected in the lower court in this case. Then he applied for bail in the High Court.
