The Appellate Division of Bangladesh's Supreme Court has upheld the bail granted to 23 followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, including their leader, Syed Wasiful Islam, in connection with the violent clashes at the Tongi Ijtema grounds in Gazipur. The decision was delivered on Monday by a three-member bench led by Senior Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam.

The defense was represented by Barristers Abdullah Al Mamun and Mahbub Uddin Khokon, while Additional Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan appeared for the state.

Earlier, on January 8, the High Court granted bail to Syed Wasiful Islam and others until the police submitted their investigation report. The case stems from a clash between two factions of the Tablighi Jamaat on the night of December 17 at the Ijtema grounds, which left three people dead and over 50 injured. The deceased were identified as Aminul Islam (65) of Kishoreganj, Belal Hossain (60) of Faridpur, and Tajul Islam of Bogura.

Following the incident, SM Alam Hossain, a follower of Maulana Zubair, filed a murder case on December 19 with the Tongi West Police Station. The case named 29 individuals and several hundred unidentified others. Subsequently, Syed Wasiful Islam and 24 others sought bail on December 24, but their initial application was returned by the High Court without a decision.