The case was filed against them with Motijheel Police Station for preventing participants from bidding in a tender at the Construction Maintenance Management Unit (CMMU) of the health ministry on July 30 last year.

The convicts are Imtiazur Rahman Prokash, Sahabur Rahman, Humayun Kabir, Mofizur Rahman alias Akash, F Kabir Khan Shilpi, Sajjad Hossain Robin, Shariful Islam Sabuj, Sajedul Islam Rumon, Abu Bakar Siddiq Sathi and Asaduzzaman alias Asad.

Sahabur Rahman, Mofizur Rahman and Sajjad Hossain were tried in absentia.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mir Ali Reza of Speedy Trial Court-6 handed down the sentence in presence of eight accused at a packed courtroom. The court acquitted accused AKM Azad alias Swadhin as the charges brought against him were not proved.

The court fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each and if they fail to pay the amount they will have to serve three-month more RI.

Following the verdict, the court ordered sending the seven convict, who were on bail, to jail after cancelling their bails.

The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the court added.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence had completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 30 prosecution witnesses.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on August 10 last year pressed charges against 11 JCD leaders and activists who were arrested in connection with preventing participants from buying schedules and bidding in a tender.

The investigation officer (IO) dropped names of four others as their names and addresses, given by four accused in their confessional statements, were not correct.

They told a metropolitan magistrate on August 6 the same year that Shaikot and Asad, two JCD leaders of Fazlul Haq Hall of Dhaka University, engaged them to obstruct buying and dropping of tender schedules for jobs worth around Tk 450 crore.

Rab picked up 13 people on July 30 last year at CMMU of the health ministry for creating obstacles to those who intended to buy or drop schedules.

August 1 was the last date for buying the tender schedules for three projects under the development budget and the schedules, which were being sold at 36 places across the country, were to be dropped by August 2, sources said.