SC stays bail of Rana Plaza owner Sohel

The Supreme Court on Sunday stayed till May 8 a High Court order granting bail to Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, in a murder case filed in connection with the death of 1,138 garment workers after the building collapsed in 2013.

Appellate Division Chamber Judge Md Abu Zafor Siddique passed the order on Sunday after hearing a petition filed by the state to stay Sohel Rana’s bail.

The court also fixed May 8 for hearing the petition in the regular bench of the Appellate Division. Lawyers said Sohel cannot get released from prison for now.

Advocate Kamrul Islam stood for Sohel Rana, while Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state, along with Assistant Attorney General Mohammad Saiful Alam.

On April 6, the High Court granted bail to Sohel Rana. The bench of justices Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Shahid Noor passed the order after hearing a bail petition.

On March 1 last year, the HC issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why he would not be granted bail in the case.

On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others.

Trial in the murder case filed over Rana Plaza collapse began officially on January 31, 2022 by recording statements of the witnesses.

On July 18, 2016, Dhaka District and Session Court Judge SM Kuddus Zaman framed charges against the accused and passed an order to begin the trial.

But it got barred as most of the accused appealed to the higher court challenging legality of the order.

On January 31 last year, after clearing the appeals, District and Sessions Court Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded the statement of plaintiff, then Sub-Inspector of Savar police station Wali Ashraf.

Over the tragic incident then SI of Savar police station Wali Ashraf filed a murder case accusing the owner and others of dereliction and negligence in building construction.

On June 1, 2015, Assistant Superintendent of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Bijoy Krishna Kar submitted a charge sheet in the case against 41 people including the building owner Sohel Rana.

A total of 594 people were made witnesses in this case.