Hummam Quader gets bail

A Dhaka court has granted bail to Hummam Quader, son of former BNP leader and executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, in a case filed over leaking the draft verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal-1.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahmudul Hasan passed the order after his lawyer moved a petition seeking bail on Wednesday.

On September 15 of 2016, Salauddin’s wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury and their son Hummam were acquitted of the charge of leaking draft verdict while five others including Salauddin’s lawyer were handed down imprisonment.

On November 22 of the same year, a High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice JBM Hasan issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the acquittal of the wife and the son of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury should not be scrapped.

The court also asked the duo to surrender before the court within six months from getting the verdict copy.

Hummam was picked up by some unidentified men from the main gate of Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on August 3, 2016. His family members claimed that he had been picked up by the Detective Branch (DB).

However, he returned home on March 3, 2017 after around seven months. On Wednesday, he surrendered to a lower court and sought bail.

Earlier on October 1, 2013, ICT-1 sentenced BNP standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury to death after finding him guilty of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the Liberation War in 1971.

Some parts of the draft verdict were found posted in the internet several hours before pronouncing the verdict.

Later, showing the copy of the draft verdict, Salauddin’s wife and son raised a complaint that the verdict was originated from the Law Ministry.

On October 4 of the same year, a case was filed with Shahabagh Police Station under sections 57 and 63 of the Information and Communication Technology Act.