Former chief justice Khairul granted bail in Jatrabari ‘murder’

The High Court has granted interim bail for six months to former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque over his alleged connection to a murder during the July Uprising in Dhaka’s Jatrabari.

A bench of Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher passed the order on Tuesday, issuing a rule asking why he should not be granted permanent bail.

The bail followed the hearing of Justice Khairul’s plea.

Defence lawyer Sayed Ahmed Raza said said his client had secured bail.

“There are no pending cases against him, and he has not been shown arrested in any new cases. So, for now, there is no legal bar to his release,” Raza said.

He noted, however, that Justice Khairul had previously been re-arrested in fresh cases each time he obtained bail. “If that happens again, we have no way of knowing in advance,” he added.

Justice Khairul was arrested by the Detective Branch from his Dhanmondi home on Jul 24, 2024, and sent to prison later that day after being shown arrested in the murder case of Jubo Dal activist Abdul Kaiyum Ahad.

He has remained behind bars since.

Bangladesh’s 19th chief justice, Khairul served from Sept 30, 2010, to May 17, 2011.

Days before retiring, he headed the Appellate Division bench that declared the 13th Amendment unconstitutional, effectively abolishing the non-party caretaker government system for parliamentary elections.

The Awami League government appointed him Law Commission chairman on Jul 23, 2013, a post he held through multiple reappointments.

He resigned on Aug 13, 2024, a week after the Sheikh Hasina government fell amid the student-led uprising.