<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">The Appellate Division on Sunday stayed a High Court (HC) order until May 8 that granted bail to Sohel Rana, the owner of the ill-fated Rana Plaza that collapsed in 2013 leaving 1,138 RMG workers dead, in a murder case over the deadly incident in Savar.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chamber Judge Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by the state seeking a stay order in this regard.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain and Assistant Attorney General Saiful Islam represented the state while former Food Minister Advocate Kamrul Islam stood for the accused.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On that day (May 8), the regular bench of the Appellate Division will hold a hearing upon a petition to be submitted by the state, Assistant Attorney&nbsp; General Saiful said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier on April 6, a High Court bench granted bail to Rana in the case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The HC bench of Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Shahed Nuruddin granted bail to Rana declaring&nbsp; the HC rule in this regard valid.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Advocate-on-record Sufia Khatun, on behalf of the state, filed a petition seeking a stay on the Rana’s bail order on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trial in the murder case filed over Rana Plaza collapse began officially on January 31, 2022 by recording statements of the witnesses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On July 18, 2016, Dhaka District and Session Court Judge SM Kuddus Zaman framed charges against the accused and passed an order to begin the trial.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it got barred as most of the accused appealed to the higher court challenging legality of the order.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 31 last year, after clearing the appeals, District and Sessions Court Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded the statement of plaintiff, then Sub-Inspector of Savar police station Wali Ashraf.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the tragic incident then SI of Savar police station Wali Ashraf filed a murder case accusing the owner and others of dereliction and negligence in building construction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 1, 2015, Assistant Superintendent of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Bijoy Krishna Kar submitted charge sheet in the case against 41 people including the building owner Sohel Rana.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A total of 594 people were made witnesses in this case. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>