The Supreme Court today set April 19 for hearing a petition filed by Erfan Salim, son of Awami League MP Haji Md Salim, for vacating its stay order on the High Court bail order for him in a case filed over attacking a navy officer in October last year.

Chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, sent the petition to its full bench for hearing on that day.

Lawyers Abdul Baset Majumdar and Sayed Ahmed Raza appeared for Erfan Salim while Additional Attorney General Sk Md Morshed represented the state.

Erfan, now in a Kashimpur jail, submitted the petition to the Appellate Division on April 6 through his lawyers along with the certified copy of the HC verdict that granted him bail in the case.

Citing the petition, Erfan's lawyer Sayed Ahmed Raja told The Daily Star that his client has been languishing in jail for five months and 11 days although the maximum punishment of the charge, for which he has been arrested, is six months' imprisonment. 

Erfan's mother has died in November last year and his father (Haji Md Salim), who has been infected with Covid-19, is receiving treatment at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka and therefore, the Appellate Division's stay order on his HC bail needs to be vacated for his release from jail, the lawyer said.

Following a petition filed by the state, the apex court chamber judge on March 28 stayed for four weeks the HC verdict that granted bail to Erfan Salim in the case.

The SC chamber judge asked the state to move a regular leave to appeal petition before its full bench in four weeks against the HC verdict.

Following a bail petition filed by Erfan, the HC on March 18 granted him permanent bail in the case.

Lt Wasif Ahmed Khan of Bangladesh Navy filed the case with Dhanmondi Police Station on October 25, against Erfan (37) and three others -- AB Siddique Dipu (45), Md Zahid (35), and Md Mizanur Rahman (30) -- for attacking him.