The High Court yesterday granted six months' interim bail to Abu Bakkar Siddique, owner of Pinak-6 launch, which capsized with more than 250 passengers on the Padma last August, in a case filed for negligence.

Following a bail petition filed by Abu Bakkar, the HC also issued a rule upon the government to explain why the petitioner should not be granted regular bail in this case.

The court granted bail after Abu Bakkar's lawyer said that his client was innocent and was not responsible for Pinak-6 carrying additional passengers.

Pinak-6, a double-decker passenger carrier vessel, which had a capacity of 85 passengers, capsized on August 4 last year. A total of 48 bodies were recovered and 62 remained missing.

Deputy Attorney General Md Bashir Ullah told The Daily Star that Jahangir Zia, traffic inspector at Mawa river port, filed the case on August 5 saying that the launch carried passengers more than three times its capacity for profit.

Abu Bakkar Siddique was arrested on August 14 in Chittagong.

Bashir Ullah said they would move an appeal before the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the HC order.

Similarly, Mirza Saifiir Rahman, surveyor of the vessel, was reinstated in less than two months after he was suspended for negligence due to the shipping minister's intense pressure for reinstatement on the plea of "ensuring navigational safety."

A ministerial probe body found Mirza directly responsible for the tragedy.