A total of 17,056 under-trial prisoners, including 190 minors, were released from jails after they secured bail from virtual courts across the country in nine working days till yesterday (Sunday).

The courts disposed of a total of 30,500 bail petitions during the period, Supreme Court Spokesman Md Saifur Rahman said in a statement today.

He said the subordinate courts have disposed of a total of 3,652 bail petitions in connection with different criminal cases via virtual hearings and granted bail to 1,831 under-trial prisoners yesterday (Sunday).

Saifur, however, could not say how many people, including minors, are now detained in custody while this correspondent contacted him.

The regular court activities across the country, including the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court, remain suspended due to the ongoing rapid surge of Covid-19 outbreak.                  

Earlier, Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain issued some directives for the courts about dealing with urgent cases using information and communication technology during the ongoing closure.