<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">The High Court today refused to hear the petition filed by Ayesha Siddika Minni -- sentenced to death for her invilvement in her husband Rifat Sharif’s murder -- seeking bail in the murder case.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Biswajit Debnath refused to hear Minni's bail petition when her lawyers Advocate Syeda Nasrin and Advocate Jamiul Haque Foysal made a plea before the court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The HC bench refused to hear the petition today, and we’ll go to another bench and place the petition,” said Advocate Jamiul.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier, on October 16, 2022, Minni filed a petition with the High Court, seeking bail in the murder case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 6, 2020, Minni moved the High Court challenging the lower court verdict.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On September 30, 2020, Minni and five others were sentenced to death by District and Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman over Rifat's killing in Barguna in broad daylight in 2019.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The full verdict of the case was published on October 3, 2020, and the death reference reached the High Court Division the next day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rifat Sharif, 22, was hacked to death in Barguna town on June 26, 2019. He was attacked near the main gate of Barguna Government College. Surveillance camera footage showed his wife Minni apparently trying to save him from the attackers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rifat’s father filed a murder case accusing 24 people. Although Minni was initially named as a witness, she was later arrested on July 16, 2019, and made an accused.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sabbir Ahmed alias Nayon Bond, the main accused, was killed in an alleged gunfight with police on July 2 that year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Minni and nine others were indicted for Rifat’s murder on January 1, 2020.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, 14 other underage accused are being tried separately at a juvenile court for the killing. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>