Key points from the recent court ruling in Bangladesh:

• A court in Dhaka has ordered the detention of 70 lawyers affiliated with the Awami League party, linked to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
• The lawyers are facing charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from incidents during the 2024 protests against Hasina's government.
• Despite the mass detentions, some lawyers have received bail, including nine women and the former president of the Dhaka Bar Association.

A court in Dhaka has taken decisive action by ordering the detention of at least 70 lawyers associated with the now-ousted Awami League government, who have been charged with attempted murder and assault against fellow legal practitioners during last year's protests. The ruling comes amidst a backdrop of political turmoil following the student-led uprising that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina's administration in August 2024.

According to TRT Global, the defendants were accused of violent confrontations in the court premises, a situation that Khorshed Alam, a lawyer representing a private complainant, described as unprecedented. "I have never seen such an incident of assaulting fellow lawyers in the court premises," he stated.

During the legal proceedings, the Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge, Mohammad Zakir Hossain, directed the lawyers to be remanded to Dhaka Central Jail after they appeared to seek bail. Despite the mass detentions, the court granted bail to several individuals, including the former president of the bar association and nine female lawyers, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Following the uprising, which saw Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India, allegations have surfaced regarding her administration's harsh crackdowns on dissenters, including a request for her extradition to face charges related to crimes against humanity. This tumultuous political climate has culminated in a wave of legal actions against those associated with her government, with a total of 144 lawyers now implicated in similar assault charges, as highlighted by India Times.

Such developments raise questions about the future of legal professionals in Bangladesh amid an environment increasingly marred by political unrest and systemic challenges.