Dhaka: The High Court on Wednesday approved six months’ interim bail to five top BNP leaders in a case filed over March 11 violence in the capital.

BNP-led 18-pary alliance component Jatiya Ganatantrik Party president Shafiul Alam Pradhan was also granted bail for six months.

But the same court delivered a split order s in another case filed against them over violence and vandalism.

The top five BNP leaders are:  Joint secretaries general Aman Ullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Mohammad Shahjahan, opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque and BNP chairperson’s adviser Dr ZM Jahid Hossain.

The HC bench of Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui and Sheikh Zakir Hossain granted the bail to the opposition alliance leaders in the case filed with Paltan Police Station under the Speedy Trial Act.

But the bench delivered split orders against the leaders in another case filed with the same police station under Explosive Substance Act.

Senior judge of the bench Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui granted six months’ bail to Aman, Rizvi and Farroque in the case while junior judge Justice Sheikh Zakir Hossain issued a rule upon the government to explain as to why they should not be granted bail.

The bench also adjourned hearing on the bail petition of Dr Zahid and Shajahan for 10 days upon their lawyer’s appeal.

The 18-party alliance leaders filed their bail petitions with the High Court on Monday.

On March 11, police stormed into the main opposition BNP’s Nayapaltan central office and arrested 157 of its leaders and activists, including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The law enforcers launched the drive in the BNP office after 8-10 crude bombs went off near the BNP central office while Fakhrul Islam was addressing a rally.

Three of the arrested leaders -- Mirza Fakhrul, Sadek Hossain Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury -- were released the following day, but others were sent to jail and later placed on 8-day police remand.

A charge-sheet was submitted against 148 of them dropping the names of six BNP men in a case filed with Paltan Police Station under the Speedy Trial Act.

Ends/AMA/17/04/13