SC stays Rana Plaza owner's bail

The Supreme Court today stayed for four weeks a High Court order granting bail to Sohel Rana, owner of Rana Plaza, in connection with the Savar building collapse that killed at least 1,138 people in April last year.

On March 23 this year, the HC granted six months’ bail to Sohel Rana after hearing a bail petition in the case filed for violating building construction rules.

The same day, the HC refused to hear another petition submitted by Sohel seeking bail in another case filed for the negligence to save the people from the collapse.

Savar municipality authorities and police respectively filed two cases with Savar Model Police Station on April 24 and 25 last year for constructing the building without a Rajuk-approved plan and in violation of the rules and provisions of the Bangladesh National Building Code, and for negligence of the owners of the building and its garments factories which caused death of the people.

The government recently submitted a petition to the SC seeking stay on the HC order of bail to Sohel.

Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, held hearing on the government petition and stayed the HC order of bail.

During the hearing, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the chamber judge of the apex court that Sohel Rana cannot be granted bail in the case, although it was filed under the Building Construction Act, since the incident for which it was filed was very sensitive.

Due to the incident of Rana Plaza collapse, over 1000 people were killed, and therefore, Sohel Rana, as its owner, cannot avoid its responsibility, he argued.