The Supreme Court today upheld High Court orders that stayed the trial proceedings against BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in two cases filed in 2012 and 2013 over vandalism and arson.

The Appellate Division of the SC, however, asked the HC to hold hearings and dispose of the rules issued in connection with the cases.

A six-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain came up with the orders after virtually hearing two separate leave to appeal petitions filed by the state, challenging the HC orders.

Following the two petitions filed by Mirza Fakhrul, the HC on November 7, 2017 stayed the trial proceedings against him in two cases lodged with Sher-E-Bangla Nagar and Ramna Police Stations in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The HC also issued two rules asking the state to explain why the proceedings of the cases against Mirza Fakhrul should not be scrapped.

Today, Sagir Hossain Leon, a lawyer for Mirza Fakhrul, told The Daily Star that his client is accused in a total of 86 vandalism, arson and defamation cases, which were filed with political motivations.

Mirza Fakhrul is now on bail in all the cases filed against him, he added.