HC rejects petition seeking Badal Farazi's release

The High Court yesterday rejected a writ petition that sought its order on the government to release Badal Farazi, who was recently brought back to the country from India after he served in jail there for 10 years in a murder case.

Badal Farazi cannot get release from jail following the HC order, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Masud Hasan Chowdhury Parag told The Daily Star.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the rejection order, considering that the petition was not placed before it properly.

Earlier in the day, DAG Masud Hasan Chowdhury produced some documents before the HC, saying that the Indian court has convicted and sentenced Badal Farazi as a Bangladeshi national.

Farazi was brought back home on condition that he will serve the rest of the sentence in the jail of Bangladesh and therefore, he cannot be released from jail, he said.

Farazi, 28, who was serving a life sentence in Delhi's Tihar jail after being convicted in the murder case, was brought back to the country on July 6 under a bilateral treaty on “Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners” signed with India around eight years ago. After Badal was brought back he was sent to Dhaka Central Jail to let him serve the rest of his sentence there.

Barrister Md Humayun Kabir Pallab, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the writ petition with the HC on July 8 seeking its directive on the government to release Badal from jail and to declare the government's decision to keep him detained illegal.