Shawdesh desk:

The Appellate Division on Sunday stayed a High Court order until May 8 that granted bail to Sohel Rana, the 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 in Savar.

Chamber judge Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by the state seeking a stay order in this regard.

Deputy attorney general Sarwar Hossain and assistant attorney general Saiful Islam represented the state while former food minister Advocate Kamrul Islam stood for the accused.

On May 8, the regular bench of the Appellate Division would hold a hearing upon a petition to be submitted by the state, assistant attorney General Saiful said.

Earlier on April 6, a High Court bench granted bail to Rana in the case.

The HC bench of Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Shahed Nuruddin granted bail to Rana declaring the HC rule in this regard valid.

Advocate-on-record Sufia Khatun, on behalf of the state, filed a petition seeking a stay on the Rana’s bail order on Sunday.

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 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.