Attacking Navy officer: SC to hear on Sunday Erfan’s petition to vacate stay order on bail

The Supreme Court today fixed Sunday 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 for him in a case filed over attacking a navy officer in October last year.

A full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain set the date after Erfan's lawyers Abdul Baset Majumdar requested the apex court for early hearing on the petition.

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 another lawyer for Erfan Sayed Ahmed Raja told The Daily Star that his client has been languishing in jail for more than five months although the maximum punishment of the charge, for which he has been arrested, is six months' imprisonment.

Erfan's mother died in November last year and his father (Haji Md Salim), has been infected with Covid-19. 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.