The High Court (HC) yesterday granted interim bail to six people, including two former lawmakers.
They are former Jamaat MP Abdullah M Taher, former BNP lawmaker MA Hashem of Partex Group, Sayeed Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of HRC Group, Giridhari Lal Modi, owner of Uttara Group, and Gatco directors Syed Galib Ahmed and Syed Tanveer Ahmed.
Of them, Sayeed Hossain was arrested on charge of violating the Emergency Power Rules (EPR), while the rest were arrested on extortion and graft charges.
After hearing separate petitions, an HC bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad stayed the proceedings of the cases against the six.
The court also issued separate rules upon the government to explain why the proceedings of the cases should not be quashed.
Meanwhile, the HC bench stayed the proceedings of the graft cases against Quamrunnahar Reshma, wife of detained former state minister Fazlur Rahman Patal, and Shamsun Nahar, wife of detained ex-BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed. They were made co-accused in the cases filed against their husbands.