Rifat murder: Minni denied HC bail

The High Court today denied bail to Aysha Siddika Minni in the case filed over the murder of her husband Rifat Sharif.

After holding hearing on her bail petition, Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman said this court will only issue a rule asking the government to explain why Minni should not be granted bail in the case, but it will not grant her bail at this stage of the case. 

Minni’s lawyer Advocate ZI Khan Panna took the bail petition back from the HC bench as the court did not want to grant her bail in the case, Additional Attorney General Momtaz Uddin Fakir told The Daily Star.

During hearing, Fakir told the court that five accused of Rifat Sharif murder case including Minni have given confessional statements to a magistrate and investigation of the case is going. At this stage, Minni cannot be granted bail, he argued.

Minni, who is now in jail, submitted the bail petition to the HC on August 5 through her lawyers citing different grounds on which the HC may consider her bail.

In the petition, Minni said she was innocent and not involved in the murder in any way.

She also said she had been made accused with an ulterior motive and on the instructions of a vested quarter.

Earlier, two courts in Barguna rejected Minni’s bail on July 22 and July 30.

Police arrested Minni after a daylong interrogation on July 16. A court placed her on a five-day remand the following day. Three days later, a Barguna court recorded her statement.

On June 26, Rifat Sharif, 25, an internet service provider, was hacked to death in broad daylight in Barguna town.

In a footage of the incident that went viral on social media, Minni was seen screaming and trying to save her husband from the attackers.

Rifat’s father filed the murder case with Barguna Sadar Police Station against 12 people on the day of the murder.

Prime accused in the case, Nayan Bond, was killed in a “gunfight” with police on July 2.