Baridhara fatal crash: Court denies bail to accused teen
Judge Md Abdul Muktadir of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-8 passed the order after a hearing today
A Dhaka court has rejected the bail petition of the 17-year-old arrested in a case filed under the Road Transport Act over the death of construction worker Mehedi Hasan Mim, who was run over after a car mounted a footpath in Baridhara.
Judge Md Abdul Muktadir of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-8 passed the order after a hearing today (4 October), said State Counsel Mohammad Sharif Uddin Mamun.
Senior lawyer Golam Mostafa Khan represented the teenager at the hearing and sought bail, saying the accused was not driving the car and that a settlement had been reached with the victim's family.
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"He is a child. He is entitled to bail," the lawyer said.
He also told the court that the maximum fine under the case was Tk3 lakh or Tk5 lakh and that the amount had already been paid to the victim's family.
The state opposed the bail, saying the teenager had no driving licence or permission to drive the car.
"This is a high-profile case. The teenager had no driving licence. He had no permission to drive a car. There is an objection to bail," the Public Prosecutor said.
The judge asked whether the teenager had been in custody for how long, and the defence said today marked his 12th day in custody.
The judge also asked the defence lawyer what message society would receive if bail were granted. The lawyer replied that the accused had been arrested according to the law and that the parties had reached a compromise.
After hearing both sides, the court rejected the bail petition.
Earlier, on 24 September, the same court ordered the teenager to be sent to a Child Development Centre.
His bail application was filed that day, and the court initially fixed 25 September for the hearing. After a partial hearing, it fixed 4 October for further arguments.
Police arrested the teenager on 23 September from a house on Gulshan Road 12. The following day, the tribunal ordered him to be sent to a juvenile correctional facility.
The crash occurred around 5pm on 22 September on Road 1 in the Baridhara Diplomatic Zone. Police said a speeding car lost control, mounted the footpath and hit construction worker Mehedi Hasan Mim, who was later declared dead at a hospital.
The car then crashed into a streetlight pole. Police said CCTV footage showed the vehicle mounting the footpath at high speed.
A teenager reportedly emerged from the driver's seat after the crash. Locals detained him and handed him over to police, but allegations later emerged that he had been released.
Moktadir, the victim's brother, filed the case at Gulshan Police Station.
Although the case initially named Akash Marok as the driver, police later said CCTV footage and other evidence indicated that Azan Ali Sharif had been driving the vehicle.
