Pilkhana carnage: Over 200 accused granted bail

A Dhaka tribunal has granted bail to over 200 individuals accused in an explosives case filed in connection with the 2009 Pilkhana carnage.

Judge Ibrahim Mia of Dhaka's Special Tribunal 1 issued the bail order on Sunday following a hearing at a temporary court inside Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

On the same day, witness testimonies and bail hearings for over 500 accused were scheduled.

The prosecution presented Major Syed Md Yusuf, as a witness.

Court proceedings began at 11:30am, where defence lawyer Mohammad Parvez Hasan sought to postpone the testimony, while prosecutor Borhan Uddin requested to proceed.

After arguments, Syed Md Yusuf began his testimony at 11:47am, describing the tragic events of Pilkhana and how he survived.

His testimony concluded after nearly two hours.

Subsequently, bail hearings for over 500 accused took place.

Among them were 277 individuals acquitted in a murder case and 256 sentenced to 10 years whose sentences have expired.

Additionally, a few sentenced to death and life imprisonment also sought bail.

Defence lawyers Mohammad Parvez Hasan, Aminul Islam, and Farooq Ahmed argued for bail, while prosecutor Borhan Uddin opposed it.

The bail hearing concluded around 2:30pm, and the court announced that the bail decision would be given at 3pm after a short recess.

After resuming at 3:13pm, the court said: "When injustice occurs, justice must be restored. Those acquitted in the murder case should be released."

The court ordered bail for those acquitted by lower courts, the High Court, or the Appellate Division.

Two others sentenced to one year in appeals were also granted bail.

The court scheduled the next testimony hearing for February 10.

Defence lawyer Aminul Islam said: "The court instructed us to submit bail bonds within two days after proper verification to ensure no sentenced individual mistakenly gets released. The accused will be released from jail after two days."

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Borhan Uddin said the defence failed to specify the exact number of accused seeking bail.

The defence also provided misleading information about how many were acquitted by the High Court, he said, adding that that the state had appealed against 30 individuals acquitted by the lower court, of whom 15 received life sentences while the other 15 were acquitted.

The court clarified that only those acquitted at all judicial levels are eligible for bail, which would total over 200 individuals.

On the day of the bail hearing, families of the accused gathered outside the prison from the morning, praying for bail.

Upon hearing the news of bail, they expressed gratitude and broke down in tears.