DHAKA: Bangladesh’s military-backed government on Tuesday eased more emergency rules imposed in January by allowing courts to grant bail to certain people caught up in an anti-graft drive.

Courts can now grant bail to close family members who were detained along with the main suspects arrested for corruption, a home ministry circular said.

The rules, imposed in January when an army-backed interim cabinet stepped in after months of political violence and a state of emergency was declared, had initially barred anyone detained for corruption from seeking bail.

The emergency government has so far detained nearly 160 top politicians including two former prime ministers as part of a nationwide crackdown. Dozens of family members were detained as co-accused in the graft cases.—AFP