High Court yesterday granted a four-month anticipatory bail to nine pro-BNP lawyers in an attempt to murder case filed by an apprentice pro-BNP lawyer.

SM Zulfiqure Ali Junu filed the case earlier in the day with Shahbagh Police Station.

The lawyers had kicked and slapped Zulfiqure for a few minutes near the office of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president around 1:30pm on Wednesday after he allegedly threatened one of the accused lawyers.

The accused lawyers are Md Jafar Alam, Mamun alias AHM Kamruzzaman, Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, Abdullah al Mahbub, Gazi Touhidul Islam, Shahadat Hossain, SK Tahsin Ali, Ariful Islam alias Arif and Nizamul Islam alias Nizamuddin.

The HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Md Habibul Gani granted the bail after hearing the bail petition filed by the accused.

Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar and Barrister Bodruddoza Badal appeared for the petitioners while Deputy Attorneys General Biswajit Bebnath and Khondker Diliruzzaman represented the government.

Zulfiqure also submitted an application to Bangladesh Bar Council, the licensing authority of the country's lawyers, asking to take legal steps against the accused.

He said a group of lawyers of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, a forum of pro-BNP lawyers, beat him, “…because I have good relations with the forum President Rafiqul Islam Mia and Secretary General Mahbub Uddin Khokon.”

Zulfiqure claimed he did not threaten anyone.

SCBA Secretary Bodruddoza Badal said Zulfiqure is not an SCBA member and threatened Advocate Md Jafar Alam, a bar member, out of personal enmity.