Sohel Rana, the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, has been granted six months of interim bail by the High Court. This decision comes after a case was filed against him for the deaths caused by the building’s collapse in Savar. His lawyer stated that there are no other cases against him, which means he can be released from jail.
The High Court bench, led by Justice Md. Ataur Rahman Khan and Justice K.M. Hafizul Alam, issued an order regarding the bail today. They also asked why Sohel Rana should not be given regular bail.
Sohel Rana had previously applied for bail at the High Court after his request was rejected in a lower court last month. His lawyer, Md. Sajjad Ali Chowdhury, represented him during the hearing. The Deputy Attorney General, Muhammad Masud Rana, was present for the state.
According to Sohel Rana’s lawyer, he is currently facing seven cases, and with this bail, he has now received bail in five of those cases. He had already served time for the other two cases.
The Deputy Attorney General stated that witness testimonies are still ongoing in this case and mentioned plans to appeal the High Court’s bail decision.
The Rana Plaza building collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing 1,135 workers and leaving 1,169 others seriously injured. Sohel Rana was arrested by RAB on April 29, 2013, while trying to flee to India, and has been in jail since then. Several cases were filed against him, including murder and violations of building construction laws.
Sohel Rana had previously been granted bail by the High Court, but that decision was later suspended after an appeal from the state. The Appellate Division ordered that the trial must be completed within six months.
His lawyer has argued that since the trial has not yet concluded, Sohel Rana should be granted bail. So far, no witnesses have implicated him in the incident.
Source: Prothom Alo
