The Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court on Sunday upheld bail for former Narayanganj City Corporation mayor Selina Hayat Ivy in the final two cases filed against her over killings and violence linked to the 2024 mass uprising, effectively clearing the way for her release from prison after nearly a year in detention.
The latest order means Ivy now has bail in all 12 cases in which she was shown arrested following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on Aug. 5, 2024. Legal observers say the ruling marks a significant development in one of the country’s most closely watched political prosecutions.
Chamber Judge Justice Md Rezaul Haque passed “no order” after hearing separate leave-to-appeal petitions filed by the state seeking to stay High Court bail orders in the last two pending cases. The decision allowed the High Court’s bail orders to remain in force.
Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Ivy’s lawyer Hridoy Rahman said the former mayor could be released within days once the formal bail orders reach prison authorities through the relevant trial courts.
“We expect that she will walk free this week after the bail orders are transmitted to the jail authorities,” Rahman told reporters following the Supreme Court proceedings in Dhaka on Sunday.
Nearly a Year in Jail
Selina Hayat Ivy, a prominent Awami League leader and one of Bangladesh’s most recognizable local government figures, was arrested from her Narayanganj residence on May 9, 2025. She was initially shown arrested in three murder cases and two attempted murder cases linked to the anti-government uprising that led to the collapse of the Awami League administration.
After lower courts rejected her bail petitions, the High Court granted her bail on Nov. 9, 2025. However, according to her lawyers, authorities repeatedly showed her arrested in fresh cases immediately after she secured bail in earlier ones, effectively preventing her release from custody.
Her legal team says she was subsequently shown arrested in at least seven additional cases, including murder, attempted murder and violence-related allegations tied to the 2024 uprising. In several of those cases, Ivy was not initially named in the first information reports, according to court documents and her lawyers.
Another member of Ivy’s legal team, lawyer SM Siddiqur Rahman, described Sunday’s ruling as politically significant.
“She has remained in prison for nearly a year despite obtaining bail in multiple cases,” Siddiqur Rahman told journalists after the hearing. “Each time she secured bail, she was shown arrested in another case. This order carries major political significance, particularly ahead of local government elections.”
Questions Over Repeated Arrests
The case has drawn increasing attention from legal observers and rights advocates, who have raised concerns over the practice of repeatedly showing political opponents arrested in new cases after they obtain bail.
On April 20, the High Court, hearing a writ petition filed by Ivy, directed authorities not to arrest or harass her unless there was a specific case against her.
Later, on April 26, the High Court further ordered the government not to arrest Ivy in cases where she was not named unless there were specific allegations supported by police records. The court also instructed authorities not to show her arrested in additional unnamed cases.
The order came after Ivy challenged what her lawyers described as a “pattern of repeated arrests” aimed at keeping her behind bars despite multiple bail orders.
Legal analysts say the repeated filing of new cases against political figures has become a growing concern in Bangladesh’s post-2024 political environment.
Earlier Supreme Court Decisions
Sunday’s ruling followed several earlier Appellate Division decisions in Ivy’s favor.
On May 10, an Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury upheld High Court bail orders in five cases and vacated stay orders in another five cases where Ivy had later been shown arrested. The court also instructed the High Court to dispose of related rules within six weeks.
In another development on the same day, the apex court dismissed five separate state leave-to-appeal petitions challenging the High Court’s earlier bail rulings.
The final two cases remained pending until Sunday’s order.
Political and Legal Context
Ivy’s prolonged detention comes amid sweeping political changes in Bangladesh following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. The country was subsequently governed by an army- and Islamist-backed interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus before the BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, came to power after the February 2026 election in which the Awami League was barred from participating.
Since then, numerous Awami League leaders and supporters have faced murder, violence and corruption-related cases across the country. Opposition figures and rights advocates have alleged politically motivated prosecutions, arbitrary arrests and misuse of the legal system against former ruling party leaders.
Legal experts note that despite Ivy remaining in prison for almost a year, investigations in many of the cases against her have yet to be completed. The delays have prompted broader questions over due process, prolonged prosecution and the use of repeated arrests to extend detention.
A three-time elected mayor known for her independent political profile even within the Awami League, Ivy has long been one of the most influential political figures in Narayanganj. Her detention and legal battle have become symbolic for many Awami League supporters who argue that opposition voices are increasingly being targeted under the current political climate.
