Dhaka: BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhurl Islam has secured bail in a case filed against him for defaming Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ataul Haque passed the order on Tuesday morning, confirmed Fakhrul’s lawyer Zainul Abedin Mezbah.

He said that he had applied for the bail of the BNP leader on 20 June. The court bailed him on Tuesday on a Tk 10,000 bond.

The prosecution says, addressing a commemoration ceremony of former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, Mirza Fakhrul Islam said Sheikh Mujib had come up with ‘Jai Pakistan’ slogan in his historic 7 March speech and had not declared the freedom of Bangladesh.

Plaintiff AB Siddiqui, also president of Jananetri Parishad, filed the case against Fakhrul claiming that his speeches published in daily newspapers on 26 August, 3 September and 6 September in 2014 had defamed him and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The court issued warrant to arrest Mirza Fakhrul and Tarique Rahman on 20 January 2015 in response to a prayer by the plaintiff.