The Appellate Division Chamber Court has stayed the bail granted by the High Court to Mahmud Hasan Mohin, the prime and principal accused in the murder case of trader Lal Chand alias Sohag, 39, in front of Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, also known as Mitford Hospital, in old Dhaka. Chamber Judge Justice Md. Rezaul Haque issued the directive on Sunday following a petition filed by the state seeking a stay on the High Court's earlier bail order.
Previously, after failing to secure relief in the subordinate courts, the incarcerated accused moved the High Court seeking bail. Following a hearing, the High Court on September 28 issued a rule and granted Mohin a six-month interim bail. The state subsequently challenged this order by filing an appeal, which came up for hearing before the Chamber Court on Sunday. Attorney General Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajol stood for the state during the proceedings, assisted by Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Mehedi Hasan.
The brutal murder took place in broad daylight on the busy road in front of Mitford Hospital on July 9, 2025. The victim operated a scrap business on nearby Rajani Bose Lane. Surveillance camera footage from closed-circuit television captured the horrifying sequence of events, showing assailants beating the trader, battering his head and body with brick fragments, stripping him of his clothes, and jumping on his body. Following the gruesome killing, the victim's elder sister, Monjuara Begum, lodged a murder case at Kotwali Police Station on July 10, naming 19 individuals alongside 15 to 20 unnamed suspects.
Upon concluding the investigation, the investigating officer submitted a chargesheet against 21 individuals to the court on December 8 of last year, while recommending the acquittal of 10 others due to insufficient evidence. However, noting flaws in the initial probe, the court ordered a fresh investigation. Following the reinvestigation, Kotwali Police Station Inspector Shah Md. Faisal Ahmed submitted a supplementary chargesheet against 21 individuals on May 10.
The Dhaka First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court subsequently framed charges against the 21 accused and ordered the commencement of the trial on July 12. The judicial proceedings for the high-profile murder case are currently at the stage of recording witness testimonies.
