Staff Correspondent 
A court has rejected the bail petition of Member of Parliament (MP) Gazi Nazrul Islam in a case filed over the alleged abetment of suicide in connection with the death of his second wife, Mariam Khatun.
The bail plea was turned down despite the defence lawyer telling the court that a settlement had been reached with Mariam’s family and that the complainant had no objection to Nazrul being granted bail.
On Wednesday (October 7), lawyer Mahabubur Rahman sought bail for Nazrul before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam. During the hearing, he said a settlement had been reached between the accused and the complainant, Mariam’s father, S M Masum Billah. He also said the complainant had no objection to the bail.
However, after hearing both sides, the court rejected Nazrul’s bail petition. He will therefore remain in custody for the time being.
Earlier, on September 30, bail was sought for Nazrul and his first wife, Maksuda Islam, in the same case. The court granted bail to Maksuda but rejected Nazrul’s plea.
According to case documents, police recovered the hanging body of Mariam Khatun from a flat at the NAM Bhaban opposite the Parliament Complex on the evening of September 20. Later, her father, S M Masum Billah, filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station accusing the defendants of abetting her suicide.
Gazi Nazrul Islam, his first wife Maksuda Islam, and Mariam’s maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman were named as accused in the case.
The day after the case was filed, a court granted four days’ remand for Nazrul and one day for Maksuda. Later, the investigation was transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of police.
Nazrul was subsequently placed on remand for another term. After completing a total of eight days in custody over two rounds of remand, the court ordered him to be sent to jail on September 28.
Meanwhile, another accused in the case, Obaidur Rahman, has also been arrested. After being questioned on remand, he was sent to jail on Monday. His bail petition is also expected to be heard by the court.
The case is currently under investigation by the Detective Branch.
