Tufan Sarkar can’t seek bail from any court: apex court

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court ruling that Tufan Sarkar, a suspended Sramik League leader of Bogura who is accused of committing corruption, cannot seek bail from any court for six months for resorting to fraudulence.

The apex court also refused to grant bail to Tufan -- who came to the limelight after allegedly raping a college girl and shaving heads of the victim and her mother in Bogura in July, 2017 -- in the corruption case against him.

A full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed an appeal filed by Tufan Sarkar challenging the HC order and also seeking bail in the case.

Tufan cannot get released from jail following the SC order, ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

He also said the apex court passed the order considering that the HC ruling is correct.

Lawyer Sharif Uddin Chaklader appeared for Tufan Sarkar.

The HC bench led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim on April 1 this year ruled that Tufan Sarkar cannot seek bail from any court for six months for resorting to fraudulence.

Tufan committed forgery with the HC by submitting a fresh bail petition even though a rule over this issue was pending with the same court, ACC lawyer Sazzad Hossain then told The Daily Star.

The ACC filed the corruption case with Bogura Sadar Police Station on December 31, 2018, against Tufan for amassing wealth of Tk 1.59 crore illegally.

Following another bail petition previously filed by Tufan, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman on September 9 last year issued the rule asking the ACC and the state to explain why Tufan should not be granted bail in the case.

Tufan submitted the fresh bail petition before the same bench on March 9 this year through his lawyer Md Shah Alam Sarker suppressing the information of the pending rule issued on September 9 last year.

Tufan abducted a student from her home, raped her and then asked his party cadres to make sure it was a secret on July 17, 2017, according to media reports.

In their attempt to silence the victim, they picked up the student and her mother, tortured them for four hours and then shaved their heads, the reports said.