Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday upheld a High Court order that previously granted bail to BNP joint secretary general Aslam Chowdhury in a sedition case filed with Gulshan Police Station.

A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha upheld the order.

Earlier on 18 May, an HC bench granted bail to the BNP leader after holding final hearing on a rule in this regard.

Later, the state filed an appeal challenging the bail order.

Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Barrister Sakib Mahbub and Barrister Sanjid Siddiqui stood for the BNP leader.

Earlier, plainclothes police arrested Aslam from the capital on 15 May last year after several local newspapers had published reports attaching more than one photographs of the BNP leader’s meeting with Israeli influential leader Mendi N Safadi.

Later on 25 May, police filed the sedition case against him on charge of his involvement in a plot to dethrone the elected government through illegal means.

Upon his filing bail plea with the High Court, it issued a rule on 5 December last year asking the government and the others concerned to explain why the BNP leader should not be granted regular (permanent) bail.