Dhaka: A Dhaka court on Sunday granted bail to two officials of Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd in a case filed for manufacturing toxic paracetamol syrup that claimed at least 28 children’s lives in 2009.

Those granted bail are Rid Pharma Managing Director Mizanur Rahman and director Sheuli Rahman, who is also the wife of Mizanur Rahman.

Judge M Atoar Rahman of the Dhaka Drug Court granted the bail upon a bond Tk 10,000 in the morning.

On March 9, the High Court ordered five officials of Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd, including the couple, who were earlier acquitted by Dhaka Drug court, to surrender before the lower court in seven days.

An HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Razik‐Al‐Jalil passed the order following a petition filed by the state against their acquittal order.

The government filed the appeal with the HC in January seeking adequate punishment for the accused as the trial court judgement was not appropriate, said Assistant Attorney General Md Bashir Ahmed.

On 28 November, the Dhaka Drug court acquitted five officials of the company.

Twenty‐eight children across Bangladesh died from renal failure during the period of June‐August in 2009 after consuming paracetamol syrup manufactured by Rid Pharma.

As the death news spread around, the government published notices in national dailies asking the people not to take any drugs manufactured by the company.

A case was filed on August 10, 2009 by then drug superintendent Shafiqul Islam with Dhaka Drug Court against the five accused.

The government also formed a seven‐member probe committee to look into the matter.

On July 29, 2009, the probe committee submitted its report, according to which a poisonous chemical named diethyleneglycol was used to manufacture the paracetamol syrup.