DHAKA: A Dhaka court Thursday granted bail to Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam in a land-related case filed during the past caretaker regime under state of emergency.

It is one of the “harassment” cases filed in a row against country’s top businessmen as well as politicians during the tenure of the interim government, the defense counsel said.

Additional judge AHM Habibur Rahman of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court granted the bail and fixed August 30 for hearing the charge brought in the case.

Earlier in the day, Shah Alam appeared before the court and sought bail in several cases he has been implicated on different dates.

Inspector Salahuddin of the Detective Branch of Police filed the case with Badda Police Station on June 7, 2007 against Shah Alam and three others on charge of taking possession of 80.28 acres of government land at Dumni-Patira mouza under city’s Badda thana, close by the company’s housing project.

The three others implicated in the case are Md Abu Sufian, Shamsuddin Ahmed and Abul Kalam Shamim.

About 25 lawyers, including Barrister Fazle Noor Tapash and Kazi Nazibullah Hira moved for the eminent businessman in the court.

BDST: 1240 HRS, AUG 19, 2010