Rana Plaza tragedy: SC stays bail order of Sohel Rana for 6 months more

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed for six months more the hearing of the petition filed by the state challenging High Court order that had granted bail to Sohel Rana, owner of the ill-fated Rana Plaza that collapsed in 2013 leaving 1,138 RMG workers dead, in a murder case over the deadly incident.

The three-member bench of the Appellate division led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order.

Advocate M Shahajahan stood for Sohel Rana.

On April 6, the High Court granted bail to Sohel Rana. Later, the state counsel filed a petition challenging the legality of the HC order.

On April 9, the Chamber Judge stayed the High Court order and sent it to the regular bench of the Appellate Division for hearing. Later, the regular bench of the Appellate Division stayed the bail order of Sohel Rana until July 10.

On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others.

Trial in the murder case filed over Rana Plaza collapse began officially on January 31, 2022 by recording statements of the witnesses.

On July 18, 2016, Dhaka District and Session Court Judge SM Kuddus Zaman framed charges against the accused and passed an order to begin the trial.

But it got barred as most of the accused appealed to the higher court challenging legality of the order.

On January 31 last year, after clearing the appeals, District and Sessions Court Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded the statement of plaintiff, then Sub-Inspector of Savar police station Wali Ashraf.

Over the tragic incident then SI of Savar police station Wali Ashraf filed a murder case accusing the owner and others of dereliction and negligence in building construction.

On June 1, 2015, Assistant Superintendent of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Bijoy Krishna Kar submitted charge sheet in the case against 41 people including the building owner Sohel Rana.

A total of 594 people were made witnesses in this case.