The High Court on 26 January granted six-month bail to Jewel Hasan Saddam, Bagerhat Sadar Upazila president of the banned Chhatra League, on humanitarian grounds following the deaths of his wife and nine-month-old child.
The decision was made by a High Court bench comprising Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan.
Saddam’s lawyer, Sayeed Ahmed Raja, told The Business Standard that the bail was granted solely on humanitarian grounds.
With this order, Saddam has now secured bail in seven cases filed against him, having previously been granted bail in six other cases by the High Court.
Saddam has been in Jashore Central Jail since his arrest in Gopalganj following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024. On 24 January, authorities allowed him five minutes at the jail gate to bid farewell to his deceased wife and infant after his family’s attempts to obtain parole failed.
The incident triggered widespread discussion and criticism on social media, with many netizens arguing that Saddam should have been granted parole.
On Friday afternoon, police recovered the hanging body of Saddam’s wife, Kanij Surbana Swarnali, from their home in Bekhedanga village, Bagerhat Sadar Upazila. The body of their nine-month-old son, Nazim, was found beside her.
Police and family members suggested that Swarnali may have committed suicide after reportedly killing her infant, reportedly due to depression.