Raintree Hotel rape case judge granted bail to another rape accused last year
Mosammat Kamrunnahar, the judge who recently lost her judicial powers over a controversial observation in the Raintree hotel rape case verdict, granted bail to a suspect in another case ignoring the Supreme Court’s (SC) order to stay the bail in 2020
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday (15 November) issued an order on judge Mosammat Kamrunnahar over her ignoring the top court's direction and granting bail to an accused in a rape case last year.
She was summoned by the Appellate Division two years ago; Monday's order was issued in its continuation.
Judge Mosammat Kamrunnahar, who recently lost her judicial powers over a controversial observation in the Raintree hotel rape case verdict, granted bail to a suspect in another case ignoring the Supreme Court's (SC) order to stay the bail in 2020.
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The matter came to light after the Appellate Division passed an order on Monday over her judgment on the bail, for which she was summoned by the top court. The SC's order was not immediately available.
"I don't know. I asked them (the judge of the appellate bench) and they did not tell us anything. I asked the court, he (Chief Justice) said that we don't need to know it now and that the order has been passed," when asked about the order, the attorney general told the media.
Judge Mosammat Kamrunnahar of Dhaka's Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-7, was recently stripped of her judicial powers over her observation in a verdict that police should not record a rape case 72 hours after the offence. On Thursday (11 November), she acquitted Shafat Ahmed, the son of an Apan Jewellers co-owner, and four others of charges of raping two university students at the Raintree hotel in Dhaka's Banani in 2017.
On 13 September, 2018, a woman filed a case against Aslam Sikder, a former producer of ATN Bangla at Hatirjheel Police Station in Dhaka alleging rape. Police arrested him on the same day. The next day he was sent to prison.
The High Court granted bail to Aslam Sikder in the case on 18 June, 2019. The appellate division chamber court stayed the bail on the plea of the state. The state later appealed to the Appellate Division to extend the stay.
However, judge Kamrunnahar granted bail to Aslam Sikder on 2 March last year despite a stay order from the Supreme Court. She was then summoned to find out the explanation under which she had granted bail to the accused.
On 12 March last year, a four-judge appellate bench headed by the chief justice directed her to appear in court on 2 April of that year to explain.
