Shafiur Rahman Farabi
On February 26, 2015, writer and blogger Abhijit Roy was brutally hacked to death in the Dhaka University (DU) TSC area while returning from the Ekushey Book Fair. Shafiur Rahman Farabi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in this sensational murder case, was granted interim bail by the High Court on Wednesday (July 30). The High Court bench, comprising Justice Md. Zakir Hossain and Justice K.M. Rasheduzzaman Raja, issued this significant order. This bail order has reignited discussions about the legal process of the Abhijit Roy murder case among the public.
Senior lawyer S.M. Shahjahan and lawyer Muhammad Hujjatul Islam Khan argued on behalf of Farabi in court for the bail application. Lawyer Hujjatul Islam Khan informed journalists that Farabi had appealed to the High Court in 2021 against the trial court's verdict and sentence, and the High Court accepted the appeal for hearing on August 4, 2022. Farabi then applied for bail while the appeal was pending.
Lawyer Khan presented several strong arguments in favor of bail. He stated, "Farabi has been in jail since March 3, 2015. Farabi did not give any confessional statement under Section 164. Four accused in the case gave confessional statements, but none of them mentioned Farabi's name. Furthermore, his name did not appear in the statements of any other witnesses except the investigating officer."
He further noted that Farabi was not proven to be directly involved in the murder but was convicted on charges of 'inciting murder' by posting provocative content on Facebook targeting Abhijit Roy. Based on these arguments, Farabi's bail was sought, and the High Court granted him interim bail. His lawyer stated that there are currently no further legal obstacles to Farabi's release from prison.
Deputy Attorney General Md. Emran Khan represented the state during the hearing.