The government yesterday filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking stay on the High Court verdict that granted permanent bail to acclaimed photographer Shahidul Alam.

The apex court is yet to fix any date for hearing the petition, said Sufia Khatun, advocate-on-record for the attorney general's office, who submitted the petition to the Appellate Division of the SC.

Following a petition filed by 63-year-old Shahidul, the HC on November 15 granted the bail considering his age and the time he spent behind bars on charges of "spreading propaganda against the government".

Shahidul, also the founder of Drik and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, was picked up on August 5 from his home in the capital's Dhanmondi during a widespread demonstration for safe roads.

Police filed the case against him and produced him before a Dhaka court the following day. He was then placed on a seven-day remand.

His arrest and imprisonment sparked outrage and condemnation at home and abroad.