Baridhara fatal crash: Bail hearing for accused set for 4 October
The judge said the offence was neither bailable nor compoundable under the relevant law and described the incident as serious.
A Dhaka tribunal has fixed 4 October for a further hearing on 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 Moktadir of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-8 passed the order today (27 September), defence lawyer Alamgir Hossain said.
During the hearing, lawyers for the teenager, including former Dhaka Bar Association president Md Golam Mostafa Khan, told the tribunal that an out-of-court settlement had been reached with the complainant and that Tk9 lakh had been paid to the victim's family.
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They also argued that the teenager was not named in the case statement and sought bail considering his age.
The judge, however, said the offence was neither bailable nor compoundable under the relevant law and described the incident as serious.
"Although this case does not carry the death penalty or life imprisonment, it provides for up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine," the judge said, adding that the court had to consider all aspects of the case.
The defence informed the court that members of the victim's family were present and had no objection to bail.
Following the hearing, the court fixed 4 October for further arguments on the bail petition.
The teenager was arrested at a house on Road 12 in Gulshan on 23 September. The next day, the same tribunal ordered that Azan Ali Sharif be sent to a juvenile correctional centre.
The crash occurred at 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 declared dead at a hospital.
The vehicle subsequently crashed into a streetlight pole. Police said CCTV footage showed the car mounting the footpath at high speed.
Following the crash, a teenager reportedly emerged from the driver's seat. Locals detained him and handed him over to police, but allegations later surfaced that he had been released.
The victim's brother, Moktadir, filed a 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.
