Manna freed on bail

Nagarik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna was released on bail from jail on Sunday evening. 
Manna came out of Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj around 7:00pm, 22 months of his detention in two cases, said his wife Meher Nigar.
Senior jail superintendent Md Jahangir Kabir told New Age that the jail authorities released Manna after receiving the bail documents from the chief metropolitan magistrates’ court in Dhaka Sunday afternoon. 
Leaders and activists of Nagarik Oikya received Manna at the jail gate and he was straight taken to his Badda residence in the capital.
Manna was picked up from his relative’s house at Badda on February 24, 2015 and was later implicated in the cases.
In one case, sedition charge was brought against him for his alleged telephone conversation with Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Sadek Hossain Khoka on the anti-government movement.
In the other, he was charged with provoking armed forces to overthrow the government through his alleged conversation with an unidentified expatriate.
Manna’s lawyer Baig Masum Zahan said that the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court issued the bail bond at 3:50pm on Sunday for Manna’s release.
Before issuing the order, the court verified the Appellate Division’s November 28 order upholding Manna’s bail granted by the High Court in the sedition case on August 30 and in the case of provocation on November 10.
Manna’s release was delayed as the metropolitan court on December 4 detected a technical error in the Appellate Division’s November 28 order that did not mention the date for granting bail to Manna in the case of provocation.
After hearing Manna’s appeal, the Appellate Division corrected the mistake on December 15.
The Appellate Division upheld Manna’s bail expressing dissatisfaction with failure of the investigation officer to submit investigation reports into the cases in 22 months since his Manna’s arrest.
The investigation officer of the cases, showing evidence, told the Appellate Division that he recorded statements of seven witnesses, including police and two journalists as witnesses during the 22 months. 
The evidence showed that the investigation officer could not identify the unknown army person with whom Manna reportedly spoke.
Manna’s Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik told New Age on Sunday that there was no progress in the investigation into the politically motivated cases filed against Manna.
He observed that the cases were filed as Manna was vocal against the ‘illegal’ actions of the government and had declared that he would be a mayoral candidate in election to the Dhaka North City Corporation held on April 28, 2015.

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