Over 1.5 lakh under-trial prisoners released on bail in 2 phases 

A total of 1,51,146 under-trial prisoners got released from jails across the country after securing bail from virtual courts in two phases of 112 working days.

The first phase of virtual court proceedings started on May 11 last year and continued till August 4 last year while the second phase started on April 12 this year and is ongoing at present amid Covid-19 pandemic.  

The released prisoners include more than 2,000 minors accused in criminal cases who were granted bail by virtual courts concerned during this period, Supreme Court spokesperson Mohammad Saifur Rahman told The Daily Star today. 

Meanwhile, Saifur today issued a statement saying that bail petitions of the accused in total 3,00,228 criminal cases were disposed of by the subordinate courts across the country since May 11 last year.       

The regular activities of courts including the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court remain suspended due to ongoing surge of Covid-19 transmission.                   

Last year, Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain issued some directives for the courts about dealing with urgent cases through using information and communication technology during the ongoing closure.