Bangladesh's High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque in a case linked to the killing of a young man during the July Uprising, removing the last legal obstacle to his release from prison.

The order was passed by a High Court bench comprising Justices KM Zahid Sarwar Kajal and Sheikh Abu Taher, which also issued a rule in the case.

Senior lawyers Mansurul Haque Chowdhury, Motahar Hossain Saju and Sayeed Ahmed Raza represented Khairul Haque before the court.

Lawyer Motahar Hossain Saju said the former chief justice had been named in a total of eight cases and had already secured bail in the other seven.

"With bail granted in this case, there is no legal bar to his release," Saju told reporters, adding that an earlier High Court order also directed authorities not to show him arrested in any new cases.

A lower court had rejected Khairul Haque's bail petition on June 21, prompting him to seek relief from the High Court.

According to the case documents, 20-year-old Khobaib was killed on August 5, 2024, in the Jatrabari area of Dhaka during the anti-government protests. The complaint alleges that police and activists of the then-ruling Awami League opened fire on demonstrators.

On November 16, 2024, the victim's brother, Zobayer Ahmed, filed a case with Jatrabari Police Station naming 80 accused, including ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Khairul Haque was arrested from his residence on July 24, 2025, and has remained in custody in connection with multiple cases since then.

He had previously obtained bail in seven other cases, including one over the killing of a Jubo Dal activist during the July movement, a case alleging forgery related to the caretaker government verdict, and five cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Khairul Haque served as Bangladesh's 19th chief justice from September 2010 until his retirement in May 2011. He later served three terms as chairman of the Law Commission before resigning on August 13, 2024, following the fall of the Awami League government during the July mass uprising.

Since then, eight cases have been filed against him, including allegations of corruption and judicial forgery. He is also under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission over allegations that he acquired a government plot through irregular means.

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