Ashish Choudhury, key suspect in film star's murder, denied bail in drug case
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A Dhaka court on Sunday rejected a bail petition by Ashish Choudhury, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the sensational murder of film star Sohel Chowdhury, in a case of narcotics possession.
The man was arrested in Dhaka's Gulshan on Tuesday, nearly 24 years after the actor's killing. RAB’s Deputy Assistant Director Jahangir Alam filed the possession case with the Gulshan police station.
On Sunday, Metropolitan Magistrate Shanta Akhtar issued the ruling after hearing the bail plea submitted by Ashish’s counsel Selim Ashraf.
In the plea, Ashish claimed that members of the law enforcement agencies had made up accusations against him in the first information report, according to bdnews24.com.
“They (the law enforcers) did not recover any recreational drugs in my possession. This case was filed just to harass me,” reads the plea.
Ashish, however, claimed that he holds a permit for consuming liquor, issued by the Department of Narcotics Control, which is set to expire on Jun 30 this year.
Prosecutor Azad Rahman, who is the lead state attorney in the case, said that the judge heard the arguments from both sides, threw out the plea and sent Ashish back to prison.
Gulshan police produced Ashish in front of the court on Thursday and the state urged the court to send him to prison. The court set Sunday to hear the bail plea, forwarded by Ashish’s counsel.
On Dec 18, 1998, film star Sohel was shot dead near the Trumps Club in Banani.
His brother, Touhidul Islam Chowdhury, pressed murder charges with the Gulshan police station the same day.
Police indicted nine people in 1999 and the case was later forwarded to the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
But the trial stalled as Adnan Siddiqui, a key suspect, appealed for the dismissal of the case. The High Court later paused the proceedings in 2004.
In 2015, the High Court reversed its previous ruling and removed the stay order. A trial court then issued arrest warrants for all the suspects in the case on Mar 28.
Film producer and controversial businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai also had alleged links to the killing of Sohel.