Erfan Selim’s bail halt

An Appellate Division judge has halted the High Court bail granted to Erfan Selim, son of MP Haji Selim, in a case over ‘assaulting’ a navy officer at Dhanmondi in October. Justice Obaidul Hassan, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, issued the order on Sunday following a hearing of the appeal by the state. Lawyer Sayeed Ahmed Raja represented Erfan Selim, while Additional Attorney General Sheikh Md Morshed was the state counsel.

“We had sought a stay order against the bail granted to Erfan Selim. The chamber judge has suspended the bail for four weeks,” Morshed said. A High Court bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Badruzzaman on Mar 18 passed an order, clearing the last hurdle for Erfan’s release from jail.

Erfan was acquitted in two other cases. But Erfan cannot be released now, as the Chamber Court halted his bail in the assault case, according to Morshed. In October 2020, Lt Md Wasif Ahmed Khan, a naval officer, filed the case with the Dhanmondi police, accusing Erfan and his associates of assaulting him.

The case named Haji Selim’s protocol officer AB Siddique Dipu, Mohammad Zahid and Mizanur Rahman, who Wasif said beat him up after a collision between their car and his motorcycle. The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Erfan after the incident. A mobile court sentenced him and Zahid to one year in jail for possession of illegal liquor and walkie-talkies.

The government also suspended Erfan as a councillor of Dhaka South City Corporation. The RAB initiated two cases against Erfan on drugs and illegal arms charges, but police in the investigation sought to drop the charges against him saying they did not find evidence of his involvement with the drugs and firearms.