A Dhaka court has granted bail to Mohammad Sarwar-e-Alam, an assistant programmer at Bangabhaban, in a case filed over the hacking of the X (formerly Twitter) account of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman.

The case was filed under the Cyber Security Ordinance at Hatirjheel Police Station. Following a hearing on Thursday, Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Muhammad Junaid passed the bail order. The information was confirmed by the complainant’s lawyer, Md Abdul Razzaq.

Earlier in the day, Sarwar-e-Alam was brought to court and kept in the holding cell before being produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court around 3:00 pm. The investigation officer, Hatirjheel Police Sub-Inspector Khandaker Saleh Abu Naim, sought to have the accused sent to jail.

During the hearing, defence lawyer Md Alamgir argued for bail, claiming the arrest was politically motivated and that the accused had no involvement in the incident. He told the court that Sarwar-e-Alam would not abscond and was willing to comply with any conditions imposed.

Opposing the bail plea, the complainant’s lawyer and others argued that there was specific evidence against the accused, including a forensic report on his mobile phone. They alleged the act was intended to create public disorder ahead of the election and warned that the accused might flee if released.

When asked by the court if he wished to speak, Sarwar-e-Alam denied all allegations. He said he had not committed any such act and had repeatedly informed the investigation officer of his innocence. He added that he had fully cooperated by voluntarily handing over his mobile phone and laptop.

Referring to his age and family responsibilities, Sarwar-e-Alam said it made no sense for him to engage in such activities at the end of his career and risk losing his pension. He claimed he was “100 percent innocent.”

The controversy began on Saturday afternoon when an English-language post was made from Shafiqur Rahman’s X account, which drew widespread criticism for allegedly insulting women. Later that night, Jamaat-e-Islami issued a statement on its official Facebook page, claiming the post was the result of a cyberattack and that false statements had been spread in the Ameer’s name. A general diary was subsequently filed at Hatirjheel Police Station.

Early Tuesday, Sarwar-e-Alam was detained from a government residential quarter near the east side of the Rajarbagh Police Lines Auditorium and taken to the Detective Branch office of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. His mobile phone and laptop were seized at the time.

Following the incident, a formal case was registered at Hatirjheel Police Station under the Cyber Security Ordinance, and Sarwar-e-Alam was shown arrested in connection with the hacking of the Jamaat Ameer’s X account.