Chamber Judge Court of Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday stayed the High Court verdict that granted bail to Sohel Rana, owner of Rana Plaza, in a murder case filed over the building collapse incident and death of at least 1,138 people in April 2013.

Chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Md Abu Jafor Siddique passed the order following a petition filed by the state challenging the HC verdict.

The bail plea was stayed till May 8. So, he will not be released from jail now.

Deputy Attorney general Sarwar Hossain Bappi said Sohel Rana is not freed from jail for now as the Chamber Judge stayed the HC verdict.

Earlier on April 6, the HC bench of Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Shahed Nuruddin granted bail to Rana declaring the HC rule in this regard valid.

Advocate-on-record Sufia Khatun, on behalf of the state, filed a petition seeking a stay on the Rana’s bail order on Sunday.

On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others.

Trial in the murder case filed over Rana Plaza collapse began officially on January 31, 2022 by recording statements of the witnesses.

On July 18, 2016, Dhaka District and Session Court Judge SM Kuddus Zaman framed charges against the accused and passed an order to begin the trial.

But it got barred as most of the accused appealed to the higher court challenging legality of the order.

On January 31 last year, after clearing the appeals, District and Sessions Court Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded the statement of plaintiff, then Sub-Inspector of Savar police station Wali Ashraf.

Over the tragic incident then SI of Savar police station Wali Ashraf filed a murder case accusing the owner and others of dereliction and negligence in building construction.

On June 1, 2015, Assistant Superintendent of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Bijoy Krishna Kar submitted charge sheet in the case against 41 people including the building owner Sohel Rana.