The Supreme Court today stayed till November 17 a High Court order that granted bail to former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique in a case against him on charge of misusing power in selling a government property.

The apex court passed the order following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking stay on the HC order.

Also read: Latif Siddique gets 6-month bail in graft case

A four-member bench of Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain also asked the ACC to file a leave to appeal petition with this court by November 17 challenging the HC order.

ACC’s lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told the Daily Star that Abdul Latif Siddique cannot get released from jail following the SC order.

Advocate Munsurul Hoque Chowdhury appeared for Abdul Latif Siddique.

On November 4, the High Court granted the six-month bail to Latif Siddique and also issued a rule asking the ACC and the government to explain why he should not be granted permanent bail in this case.

ACC Assistant Director Aminul Islam lodged the case with Adamdighi Police Station in Bogura on October 10, 2017. Jahanara Rashid, wife of late Harunur Rashid, was also made accused in the case.

According to the case statement, Jahanara Rashid leased a piece of land in Adamdighi upazila -- owned by Bangladesh Jute Corporation -- for three years at Tk 1.2 lakh per year on May 13, 2010.

In spite of getting repeated orders from the textiles and jute ministry to pay rent for the land, Jahanara applied to the ministry to purchase the land on November 13, 2011.

The then textiles and jute minister Latif Siddique, without floating any formal tender, sold the land to Jahanara at Tk 23.94 lakh although its market price was Tk 64.63 lakh.

Following the incident, the ACC filed the case against Latif and Jahanara under the Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 1947.

On June 20 this year, a Bogura court sent Latif Siddique to jail in the case, rejecting his bail petition.

The Awami League used party men, police and administration officials to influence the 11th parliamentary polls, BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront leaders said yesterday at a “mass hearing”. 

The alliance leaders said ghost cases were filed against its activists and they were harassed and detained without warrants.

“There was no voting on December 30 and so the government formed from it is not valid,” said Maj Gen (retd) AMSA Amin, who had run with Dr Kamal Hossain-led Gonoforum ticket from Kurigram-2.         

The Oikyafront arranged the “mass hearing” on “so-called parliamentary election” at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium. A number of the alliance candidates had filed election petitions with the High Court challenging the December 30 polls results.

At least 41 candidates testified during the over seven-hour-long session of the “mass hearing” before a panel that included Dr Kamal and former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Prof Emajuddin Ahmed.

Leaders of the BNP and its political allies said they, by taking part in the December 30 polls, had “unmasked the ruling party”. Top BNP leaders, including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman and Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan attended the programme.

Sabina Yasmin, who ran from Natore-2, said, “I was getting ready to go to the polling stations after learning that my polling agents had been driven out of there on election day.”

She said she could not cast her vote even because her house had been padlocked from the outside that morning.

Detectives in plainclothes picked up her husband -- BNP Organising Secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu -- on December 12. Dulu is now in Keraniganj jail.

Sabina said on December 20 when they were distributing campaign flyers, 30 to 40 AL men harassed her and 15 women working for her campaign.

Four days later, about 500 armed AL men attacked her campaign team of 200, most of whom were women, said Sabina, adding that she along with her activists took cover in a drug store.

They were confined to the shop until police rea

Attendees at the programme offering prayers for the victims of the Chawkbazar fire. Photo: Prabir Das

“I hired fewer men [for the campaign] because they used to get clobbered with hammers,” she said.

Sabina claimed that she could not campaign after December 24.

Anisur Rahman Talukder, who was the BNP candidate for Madaripur-3, said the AL had repeatedly been saying that “the opposition party didn't campaign, didn't have posters printed, and didn't ask for votes”.

Whenever they tried to campaign, they were harassed, attacked, and their posters were torn, he said.

Several other candidates echoed him. Law enforcers cordoned off candidates' houses and when they or their activists came out of the houses, they were picked up, often without any arrest warrants, they said.

Anisur said he learnt from his sources on election day morning that 80 percent of the votes had been cast between 2:30am and 5:00am that day.

BNP leader Rumana Mahmud, who ran from Sirajganj-2, said police fired at her and her activists when they were campaigning on December 14. Her aide Mery Begum lost her eyesight in the attack, she said.

Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bakul, BNP nominee for Narsingdi-4, alleged that his polling agents were ousted from 152 of 155 polling centres in his constituency on election day.

Nitai Roy Chowdhury, who ran from Magura-2 and bagged around 65,000 votes, alleged that before election day, police went to every ward, union and village in his constituency and threatened his party leaders and activists, detained some of them. They also harassed the women, he claimed.

BNP candidate for Satkhira-1 Habibul Islam Habib said he was nominated several times by the party and had bagged 1.46 lakh votes in the 2008 polls.

He said it was incredible that he got only 17,445 votes and had not got a single vote in 20 of 188 polling stations.

Other defeated candidates of the 11th parliamentary election also accused the ruling party, Election Commission, officials of the administration, intelligence and security personnel of violating the constitution and stripping people their right to vote.

Thanking the alliance members for arranging the “mass hearing”, Dr Kamal said, “It [December 30 polls] cannot be said an election but an event where the government in the name of election staged a farce.”

The government deprived the country's people of their rights, violated the constitution, and insulted democracy, he said.

Without mentioning any name, Dr Kamal said state servants who were in the administration should be ashamed of themselves because they forgot their constitutional duties and became servants of “a single individual”.

The eminent jurist also said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia should be immediately released, unconditionally.

“It is a pity that even after 48 years of independence, we have to raise such demand for those who contributed to democracy,” he said, calling for unity to “restore” democracy in the country.

Abdul Latif Siddiqui, an independent candidate for Tangail-4, yesterday fell sick as he continued his fast unto death for the second consecutive day protesting the attack on his motorcade on Sunday.

After the attack, Latif demanded arrest of the attackers and withdrawal of the officer-in-charge of Khalihati Police Station in the district.

A two-member medical team, led by Tangail Civil Surgeon Dr Sharif Hossain, visited Latif around 11:00am yesterday and requested him to get admitted to a hospital.

But Latif refused either to go to a hospital or take saline. He said, “I will not withdraw my strike until my demands are met.”

After conducting a medical check-up, Sharif told The Daily Star that Latif had acute dehydration and his heart rate was decreasing.

He could catch pneumonia due to the cold. He needs to be taken to hospital immediately, the doctor added.

He is a patient of diabetes, asthma, heart disease and high blood pressure, said Latif's nephew Mosharraf Hossain Siddiqui.

“My uncle has not eaten anything since Sunday morning,” Mosharraf added.

Latif is not only a politician     but also an organiser of the Liberation War, said Latif's wife Laila Siddiqui after meeting the returning officer (RO).

He is staging the protest because he felt insulted after criminals attacked his motorcade, she added.

"The demands for withdrawing the officer-in-charge of Kalihati Police Station and arresting the attackers are not the demands of Latif only, these are the demands of Kalihati's mass people," she added.

Menwhile, Officer-in-Charge of Kalihati Police Station Mosharraf Hossain said three alleged attackers, including Salauddin Talukdar, son of incumbent upazila parishad chairman, were arrested in the evening.

Later in the day, a three-member medical team -- led by Dr Mofazzal Hossain, senior consultant (cardiology) of Tangail General Hospital -- was formed to monitor Latif's health condition following the RO's directive.

Contacted, RO Md Shahidul Islam said he had informed the Election Commission about the latest situation.

"The Electoral Inquiry Committee, comprising judicial magistrates, has also submitted its probe report to the Election Commission over the incident," he added.

Abdul Latif Siddiqui, an independent candidate for Tangail-4, who has been fasting unto death since Monday protesting Sunday's attack on his motorcade, was hospitalised yesterday after falling sick.

He was taken to the cardiology department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) via ambulance from the office premises of returning officer (RO) around 1:45pm.

Later, he was shifted to a cabin, said Latif's nephew Abdul Hye Niyon who was accompanying him to the hospital.

On Monday, Latif demanded withdrawal of Mosharraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kalihati Police Station, and arrest of the attackers.

On Wednesday police arrested four, including Salauddin Talukdar, son of incumbent union parishad chairman, over the attack.

But Latif continued to fast unto death demanding the withdrawal of the OC.

Around 9:10am yesterday, he was taken to Tangail General Hospital. There he agreed to go to BSMMU and the doctors gave him a release order, Latif's wife Laila Siddiqui yesterday told The Daily Star.

. Police, however, stopped the ambulance carrying Latif at the hospital gate for an hour, Laila said.

As a result, he started walking towards the RO's office.

Around 1:45pm, police allowed him to start his journey to Dhaka, along with his two nephews, she said.

Contacted, Dr Md Sharif Hossain, civil surgeon in Tangail, who also checked Latif on Tuesday, said he had been suffering from severe breathing issues and dehydration. He was given saline in Tangail General Hospital.

On Sunday, a group of 20 to 25 Awami League men allegedly attacked Latif's motorcade. At least 10 were hurt and four cars were damaged in the incident.

Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh René Holenstein today said Switzerland commended all parties for their participation in 11th Parliamentary Elections in Bangladesh.

“Switzerland took note of the results of the 11th Parliamentary Elections and commended all parties for their participation in the process,” said Holenstein during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque today.

The Swiss ambassador deplored the violence that occurred before and during the elections causing unnecessary suffering and pain, according to a statement.

Referring to reported accounts of intimidation, irregularities and further obstacles to a level playing field throughout the process, which have tainted the electoral campaign and the vote, Ambassador Holenstein underlined the need to address these reports in full transparency and according to the rule of law.

“Switzerland trusts that the new Government of Bangladesh will uphold the democratic values it was elected upon and that it will support the people’s will to move towards democracy in full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he said.

He assured the foreign secretary that Switzerland looked forward to its continued partnership with Bangladesh.