The High Court (HC) yesterday denied bail to Aysha Siddika Minni in a case filed over the killing of her husband Rifat Sharif. After hearing her bail petition, Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman denied her bail, saying that the court could issue a rule asking why she should not be granted bail in the case. But, the court said, it was unable to grant her bail at this stage of the case.

The HC bench also said that it had to examine the confessional statement of the accused before granting her bail. During the hearing, additional attorney general Momtaz Uddin Fakir told the HC that since five accused in the Rifat Sharif murder case, including Minni, had given confessional statements to a magistrate in connection with an ongoing investigation, Minni should not be granted bail at this stage.

On August 6, the HC deferred till Thursday the hearing on her bail petition. Minni filed the bail plea on August 5 in the case filed in connection with the killing of her husband. Earlier, a Barguna court had rejected Minni’s bail petition twice on July 22 and 30.

The police arrested Minni after a daylong interrogation on July 16. A court placed her on a five-day remand the following day. Three days later, a Barguna court recorded her statement.

On June 26, Rifat, 25, an internet service provider, was hacked to death by a group of men. A video footage of the incident that went viral on the social media, shows Minni screaming and trying in vain to save her husband.

Rifat’s father filed a murder case with Barguna Sadar police station against 12 people on the day of the murder. The police have so far arrested 16 people in connection with the incident. The main accused, Sabbir Ahmed, alias Nayon Bond, was killed in a reported gunfight with law enforcers on July 2.