HC grants bail to former SP Babul Akhter in wife’s murder case

The Supreme Court (HC) today granted interim bail to former Superintendent of Police (SP) Babul Akhter in the case filed regarding the murder of his wife Mahmuda Khan Mitu.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Md Atowar Rahman and Justice Ali Reza accepted the bail petition filed by Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir.

Lawyer Manir told reporters that after the bail decision, there was no legal obstacle to Babul Akhter’s release from prison.

The lawyer said that the court had granted interim bail to Babul Akhter considering his stay in jail for three years and seven months and had issued a rule asking why permanent bail would not be granted in the case.

He said that there have been no prosecution witnesses in the first instance court regarding the case since July 1.

He added that those who testified as prosecution witnesses in this case had already applied to retract their statements, and also said that they had to give statements to the court because they were afraid of the then chief of the Police Investigation Bureau. PBI) Banaz Kumar Majumder.

Lawyer Shishier Manir said Babul Akhter was in Dhaka on the day Mitu was killed and was urgently sent to Chattogram by helicopter. He also added that the prosecutor’s office was still unaware of the whereabouts of Musa, one of the main defendants.

Babul Akhter had earlier filed a bail petition in the court of the Third Additional District Judge, Chattogram, but the court rejected the bail petition on August 18. As a result, Babul Akhter moved the bail petition to the Supreme Court.

Babul Akhter’s wife, Mahmuda Akhter Mitu, was stabbed and shot dead by unidentified assailants on her way to her son’s school on OR Nizam Road in Chattogram city on the morning of June 5, 2016.

Later, Babul Akhter filed a murder case with Panchlaish Police Station in this regard.

PBI took charge of the investigation into the case and found Babul Akhter’s involvement in his wife’s murder.

Later, PBI submitted a final report on the case filed by Babul Akhter and Mitu’s father Mosharaf Hossain, also a former police inspector, and filed a case charging Babul Akhter as the prime accused in the murder.

PBI arrested Babul Akhter and sent him to jail through the court.

Meanwhile, Babul Akhter’s lawyer filed an inadmissible petition (Na-razi) in the court against the PBI’s final report on October 14 the same year.

Following the petition, the court rejected the final report and the petition of disapproval and decided to investigate the case.

Both cases were investigated by PBI. Following the court order, the police filed a final report in the case on January 25, 2022, by Mitu’s father.

PBI filed an indictment in the case on September 13, 2022, charging seven persons, including Babul Akhter.

The Third Additional District and Magistrate’s Court started hearing the case on March 13 last year by charging seven persons, including Babul Akhter.