A Dhaka court today rejected bail petitions of former minister Abdul Latif Siddique in seven cases filed against him for hurting people's religious sentiment.

Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of Metropolitan Session Judges Court passed the order after Siddique's lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol moved the bail petitions against the bail rejection orders passed by seven metropolitan magistrate courts on different dates.

Latif Siddique challenged the rejection orders on April 16.

On November 25 last year, a Dhaka court sent the sacked minister to prison on surrender before a police station in the case filed for his comments demeaning hajj.

Latif Siddique surrendered at Dhanmondi Model Police Station around 1:30pm on that day after two days his arrival in the country from hideout in India in the face of outrage from several quarters.

He is accused of around 22 cases filed in 18 districts for offending religious sentiments. There were multiple arrest warrants against him.

At the September 28 programme in the USA last year, Latif said, "During Hajj, so much manpower is wasted. More than 20 lakh people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. They have no work, no production and are offering only deduction."

He added some 20 lakh Tablighi Jamaat people get together annually. They do not do any work, except for halting traffic movement in the whole country.