The HC Division Bench of Justice Md Joynul Abedin and Justice AKM Fazlur Rahman heard the bail petitions of the AL leaders and granted them bail. The AL leaders were present in court.

Earlier on November 15, the same bench granted anticipatory bail to 16 top AL leaders including its General Secretary Abdul Jalil in the same cases.

The leaders who obtained bail yesterday are Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdur Razzak MP, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP and Sohel Taj MP.

The plaintiffs alleged that the AL had put them on the list with a motive to reap political benefits by tarnishing their political and social image.

The lawyers for the petitioners told court that the accused were prominent national leaders and the cases were filed to politically harass them.

Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam and Abdul Matin Khosru moved the bail petitions.

The AL leaders sought interim bail after a court in Natore last week issued a warrant of arrest against 14 central AL leaders in a defamation case filed by Deputy Minister Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu on October 18, two days after the AL had put 102 leaders of the ruling coalition on the list of 'godfathers'.

The other cases were filed by Chief Whip Khondaker Delwar Hossain with the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka; Nazimuddin Alam in Bhola, Shahjahan Chowdhury and Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin in Chittagong, Golam Sarwar in Khulna, Syed Abdullah Abu Taher in Comilla, Shahidul Haque Jamal in Pirojpur and Hannan in Gazipur.

Two other cases were filed in Comilla and Tangail by two leaders of ruling BNP's youth front, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal.