Minni files bail petition in High Court again

Ayesha Siddiqua Minni, the convicted who was sentenced to death in Barguna's controversial Rifat Sharif murder case, has again applied to the High Court seeking bail.

The bail application was filed in a High Court bench headed by Justice Md Ruhul Quddus on Sunday.

Minnie's lawyer Advocate Shahinuzzaman confirmed this information.

Earlier on January 11, 2023, a bench of the High Court expressed incompetence in hearing Minni's bail plea in the Barguna Rifat Sharif murder case.

The High Court bench of Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif and Justice Biswajit Debnath refused to hear the bail plea.

Later on May 8, 2023, Minni applied for bail in the High Court. However, her bail application came on the agenda but the plea was not heard later.

Notably, on September 30, 2020, Barguna District and Sessions Judge Court Judge Md Asaduzzaman sentenced 6 people including Minni to death.

The verdict sentenced 6 of the 10 adult defendants to death. In addition, 6 accused were sentenced to a fine of Tk50,000. The remaining 4 were acquitted.

Later, as per the rules, the death reference reached the High Court on October 4 of the same year to approve the death sentence of the six accused.

Besides, on October 6, Minni and the other accused filed an appeal.

The defendants sentenced to death are — Md Rakibul Hasan Rifat aka Rifat Farazi, Al Qayyum aka Rabbi Akon, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat, Rezwan Ali Khan Hriday aka TikTok Hriday, Md Hasan and Ayesha Siddiqua Minni.

Acquitted - Md Musa, Rafiul Islam Rabbi, Md Sagar and Kamrul Islam Simon.

Minni’s husband Rifat Sharif, 25, an internet service provider, was hacked to death in broad daylight in front of her in Barguna town on June 26.

In footage of the incident that went viral on social media, Minni was seen screaming and trying to save her husband from the attackers.

Rifat’s father filed the murder case with Barguna Sadar Police Station against 12 people on the day of the murder.

Prime accused in the case, Nayan Bond, was killed in a “gunfight” with police on July 2.

Police arrested Minni 20 days after the incident from her father’s home, after a daylong interrogation on July 16.

A court placed her on a five-day remand the following day. Three days later, a Barguna court recorded her statement.

On August 29, 2019, the High Court granted Minni bail.

On September 1, 24 people were charged and the charge sheet was submitted to the court divided into two parts, minors and minors.

Among them, there are 10 adults and 14 minors. Charges were framed on January 1, 2020, against 10 adult accused.

Later, after taking testimony, and arguments, the verdict was announced on September 30.

At the end of the trial, on October 27, 2020, Barguna District Women and Children's Court Judge Hafizur Rahman announced the verdict on 14 minors.

The verdict sentenced six to 10 years, four to five years and one to three years imprisonment. The court acquitted the other three.