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The Appellate Division’s Chamber Judge Court has cancelled the High Court’s bail order for retired army personnel Hafizur Rahman, who was arrested in the murder case of Sohagi Jahan Tonu in Cumilla.
The court also ordered Hafizur to surrender within 24 hours. Failure to do so will result in police action to arrest him, Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal said on Thursday.
On August 2, the High Court granted Hafizur a six-month interim bail after hearing his petition. A bench comprising Justice Md Jafar Ahmed and Justice Sathika Hossain passed the order and also issued a rule asking why he should not be granted permanent bail.
The state was represented by Deputy Attorney General Shyuli Khanam and Assistant Attorneys General Sabbir Hossain, Md Mizanur Rahman, Rezaul Karim, and Mir Moniruzzaman. Hafizur was represented by lawyer Moslem Uddin Bhuiyan.
After the bail order, Hafizur was released from jail, and reports about his release appeared in the media. The state later filed an appeal seeking cancellation of the bail order.
Hafizur was arrested by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) from his residence in Keraniganj, Dhaka, on April 21 in connection with the widely discussed Tonu murder case. The 52-year-old is a former senior warrant officer of the Bangladesh Army.
Tonu went missing on the evening of March 20, 2016, while she had gone to a house inside Cumilla Cantonment to give private tuition.
Her body was later found in a bush near the cantonment’s power house.
The murder case has remained under investigation and legal proceedings for years. Hafizur’s arrest brought the case back into public attention.