A Dhaka court on Wednesday (Jan 17) granted bail to e-commerce company Evaly's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammad Rassel after he surrendered himself to the court in a case filed over cheque fraud. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ali Haider passed the order after the hearing. On Monday, the court issued arrest warrants for Mohammad Rassel and his wife, Evaly Chairman Shamima Nasrin in a case filed over cheque fraud. According to the case statement, on March 13, 2021, the plaintiff of the case, Tanvir Hossain, paid Tk2.45 lakh through mobile banking to buy a motorcycle after seeing an advertisement on Evaly.  However, the e-commerce site failed to deliver the vehicle within the stipulated 45 days. On September 13 that year, Evaly gave a cheque for the equivalent value of the product.  The cheque was then deposited in multiple banks for encashment but it was dishonoured.  Though, A legal notice was sent to them on October 22 last year, Evaly did not take any steps. Meanwhile, Evaly now plans to begin refunding the money stuck in the payment gateway in January, according to the chief executive of the company.  

A Dhaka court has sentenced Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, chairman of Grameen Telecom, and three others to six months in jail over labour law violations. Dhaka Labour Court 3 judge Sheikh Marina Sultana announced the verdict on Monday (January 1, 2024) and later granted them bail after they filed separate petitions. The court also fined them Tk5,000 under one section and Tk25,000 under another, in default of which they would have to spend an additional 10 and 15 days in prison. The labour court gave them one month to file an appeal in the High Court to challenge the judgement.    Dr Yunus and the three other accused in the case – Grameen Telecom CEO Md Ashraful Hassan, Managing Director M Shahjahan and Trustee Nurjahan Begum – appeared in court at 1:35pm. Dr Yunus was facing more than 100 other charges over labour law violations and alleged graft.  Last month, after one of the hearings, Yunus told reporters that he had not profited from any of the more than 50 social business firms he had set up in Bangladesh. "They were not for my personal benefit," he said. The department noticed several labour law violations during an inspection at Grameen Telecom, according to case files.  In August, 160 global figures, including former US president Barack Obama and ex-UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, published a joint letter denouncing "continuous judicial harassment" of Yunus. The signatories, including over 100 of his fellow Nobel laureates, said they feared for "his safety and freedom". A case was filed on September 9, 2021, by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment against Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others for violating labour laws. The violations include failing to permanent the jobs of 101 workers and employees, not forming a workers' participation fund and welfare fund, and failing to provide 5% of the company's dividend to workers.

Khan and one of his aides were both granted bail in a case where they have been accused of leaking state secrets. Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case where he is accused of making public state secrets. Khan's party's deputy leader, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was also granted bail. The former prime minister was sentenced in the summer to three years in prison over graft charges. The sentence was suspended, but he remained in jail since August due to other charges against him, including the official Secrets Act case. "The case has completely collapsed, and Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi have finally been granted bail," lawyer Salman Safdar told reporters outside court.   Will Imran Khan be released from prison? It is not yet clear whether Friday's bail decision would allow Khan to leave detention. Salman Safdar, one of his lawyers, told the Reuters news agency it the former prime minister has multiple arrest warrants issued against him in several other cases. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said he would remain in jail due to separate corruption charges and that there was little chance he would be able to take part in elections set for February 8.   What is the case about? Khan's trial relates to a classified cable that Pakistan's ambassador in Washington sent to Islamabad early last year. Khan is accused of making the cable public. Khan denies the accusation. He says the cable's contents appeared in the media from other sources. The former prime minister had argued that the diplomatic message was proof that the United States was conspiring with the Pakistani military to oust him in the 2022 no-confidence vote over his growing ties with Russia. Both the US and the Pakistani military deny that.

A court here On Wednesday (22 November) scrapped BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's bail plea in a vandalism case lodged over attack on the official residence of the chief justice (CJ) during BNP's grand rally in the city's Nayapaltan area on October 28. Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court's acting judge Foysal Atiq Bin Kader passed the order after holding a hearing regarding the matter. On October 28, a chaos broke out as BNP leaders and workers entered into a clash with police at city's Nayapaltana and surrounding areas during BNP's grand rally. Amid the clash, BNP men allegedly attacked the residence of the chief justice and broke one of its gates and damaged its nameplate.  Police filed the case with Ramna Police Station against 59 leaders and activists of BNP, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee member Mirza Abbas, vice-chairmen Barkat Ullah Bulu, Abdul Awal Mintoo and Shamsuzzaman Dudu. Fakhrul was arrested from his Gulshan residence the next day by Detective Branch (DB) of police and sent to jail. A bail plea was filed with Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on November 2. Source : BSS

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir ‍has been sent to jail in a case filed over vandalising Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan’s residence. A Dhaka metropolitan magistrate on Sunday sent him to jail during his party’s grand rally on Saturday after rejecting his bail petition. Joynal Abedin Mezbah, a lawyer of the BNP leader said, Metropolitan Magistrate Shafi Uddin passed the order after the investigating officer produced him before the court with a plea to keep him in jail in connection with the case. Earlier on Sunday, the Detective Branch (DB) of Police in Dhaka detained Fakhrul from his Gulshan residence.

Police had registered an "abetment to murder" case against the former prime minister over the killing of a lawyer by unknown gunmen. Imran Khan also received bail in 16 other cases, the Dawn daily reported. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday secured bail from Islamabad's High Court. This blocks his arrest in an abetment for murder case for 14 days. Dozens of other charges have also been raised against him. The Pakistani daily Dawn reported Khan also received bail in 16 other cases from Islamabad's High Court, anti-terrorism court and district court. His lawyer Gohar Khan said that Imran Khan had traveled to Islamabad from his home in Lahore to seek bail in over a dozen cases to avoid a new arrest. According to Dawn, the former prime minister also appeared at the National Accountability Bureau's office in the northern city of Rawalpindi for an investigation into corruption allegations. Also on Thursday, Imran Khan said in a video to supporters that he will "fight this system of oppression till my last breath." Why is Pakistan facing a political crisis? The ousted leader was initially arrested on May 9 and held for three days on corruption charges. He is now free on bail in a range of other criminal cases. The initial charges were levied against Khan after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The arrest sparked protests by supporters of Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who attacked military facilities. Khan argues that the cases against him are to ensure that he is excluded from elections later this year. On Wednesday, Pakistan's military denied allegations of human rights abuses without naming the former prime minister explicitly. Khan and his supporters have claimed that they have been subject to torture as part of a crackdown against them. Late last month, officials announced that a travel ban had been imposed on Khan, his wife and hundreds of his political aides. What is the abetment to murder case against Imran Khan? On Wednesday, police registered an "abetment to murder" case against Imran Khan over the killing of a lawyer by unknown gunmen. The slain lawyer, Abdul Razzaq Shar, had filed a court petition seeking sedition proceedings against Khan for dissolving the government after the no-confidence motion. Police said that Shar was shot and killed by men on a motorcycle on Tuesday when he was on his way to court in Quetta in the southwestern Balochistan region. It was not immediately clear how the link between the gunmen and Khan had been established

The former prime minister had earlier been dragged out of a court building and arrested, triggering riots across Pakistan. The same court now released him on bail and granted him protection from arrest. The Islamabad High Court on Friday ordered the release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on bail for two weeks, his lawyers said. The former prime minister left the court premises later in the day.  On Tuesday, Khan was dragged out of from the same court building and arrested. He has now been granted protection from arrest.  The 70-year-old politician and former cricket star is facing charges of corruption. His arrest, which was later ruled unlawful, triggered riots that claimed several lives across the country. The current government, comprised of Khan's political rivals, deployed the military to curb the unrest. The level of unrest has not been seen since 2007 when another former premier, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated during an election campaign.  The current government led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has denounced the ruling and said it was determined to find other legal avenues to arrest the former premier. Khan has led a public battle against the current government, calling upon his supporters to rally around his demand for early general elections, in which he plans to run.  Islamabad on edge Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party said thousands of "peaceful Pakistanis" would gather in support of the former prime minister. Islamabad Police to issued an emergency order banning all gatherings in the capital city. While the area surrounding the court was on lockdown, local media said police and Khan's supporters clashed elsewhere in the city.  Police have already arrested nearly 2,000 people for violence since Khan's arrest on Tuesday. At least eight have been killed in clashes with the police. Why was Khan in court? The Pakistani Supreme Court declared on Thursday that Khan's arrest was illegal. Then, the top court instructed the Islamabad High Court to once again look into Khan's appeal against corruption charges — continuing the proceedings that were abruptly halted on Tuesday. The rule ordered his release, but did not protect himthe corruption chargers. The temporary bail is typically renewed under Pakistan's judicial system. Khan has ambitions to return to power despite currently being banned from seeking public office. The former Pakistan cricket captain was ousted as prime minister in a vote of no confidence last year. But this was only the beginning of an escalating power struggle between Khan and the current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan also alleges that Pakistan's military and political elite are working in consort with foreign influences, often singling out the US. The conflict is happening against a background of intensifying economic tensions caused by recent increases in prices for staple products like food and fuel. 

The court has granted bail to Prothom Alo journalist Shamsuzzaman on a bond of Tk. 20,000 in the Digital Security Act case. On Monday, April 3, Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor gave this order after the court's bail hearing.  On this day, Proshanto Kumar Karmakar, the lawyer of the accused, asked for bail.  The state's Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu Jamin opposed. After hearing both parties, the court granted his bail.

The High Court on Sunday granted six weeks anticipatory bail to Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman in a case filed under the Digital Security Act. The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Aminul Islam passed the order. Senior Advocate Fida M Kamal stood for Matiur Rahman while additional attorney general Mehedi Hasan and deputy attorney general Sujit Chatarjee Bappi represented the state. Earlier in the day, a petition was submitted before the court seeking anticipatory bail for Matiur Rahman. The case was filed with Dhaka’s Ramna Police Station on March 29. On March 29, an FIR was filed by a lawyer named Abdul Malek (Mashiur Malek), accusing Matiur Rahman, Prothom Alo reporter Shamsuzzaman Shams, an unnamed “assistant cameraman”, and unnamed others of “using print, online, and electronic media to tarnish the image and reputation of the state.” In the FIR, the lawyer also mentioned that the accused were “purposefully spreading misinformation to deteriorate the law and order situation of the country.” The case was filed under sections 25, 31 and 35 of the DSA. The plaintiff said the news reported by Shamsuzzaman Shams went viral on social media which “tarnished the image of the country and triggered criticism at home and abroad.” Moreover, there was a possibility of deterioration in the law and order situation in the country over the matter, the case statement said. Later, Shamsuzzaman Shams, the paper’s Savar correspondent, who wrote the report was sued in a separate case under the DSA on March 29, around 10 hours after being picked up from his house near Jahangirnagar University by members of the Criminal Investigation Department of police.

Police have arrested J K Majlish, known as a composer and music director over the allegation of cheating regarding the case in connection with copyright issue of the program ‘Folk Station’ broadcasted by Rtv. After arresting J K Majlish police produced him before the court and pleaded for seven days remand. On the other hand lawyer of Majlish appealed for bail. The court rejected both the plea for remand and bail but granted permission for quizzing J K Majlish at the jail gate for two days. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Ahmed delivered the order. Earlier, on Sunday night police arrested J K majlish from a house located at Road number 6, Mohammadpur Housing Area in the capital. A smart detective team comprising Additional Deputy Commissioner Ishtiaq Ahmed, ppm of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Inspector Asaduzzaman arrested the accused. According to the information of the case, J K Majlish rearranged nearly 250 songs for Rtv’s popular folk music program but after three years he claimed those songs as his own saying that those are copyrighted by his name. Moreover, he published those songs in different online platforms. In this case a firm named Gaanbox associated him illegally. They used to collect songs from other artists and composers and aired those in different online platforms. Earlier, several attempts were made to discuss the matter with J K Majlish. He was tried to persuade the matter that he rearranged the songs under Work for Hire basis. Later he was also served with legal notice. As he did not abide by the directions then Rtv authority filed a case against J K Majlish and two of his associates. The two other accused are Jewel D Costa and owner of Gaanbox Music. The platforms that they used to publish the copyrighted songs are- Spottify, Apple Music, Prime Music, Geo Seven, Dazer, You Tube Music, Star I Tune and some others. Music distribution agency Fuga detected the incident of cheating perpetrated by J K Majlish and his associates.