Bangladesh, Aug. 29 -- Former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique has refused to seek bail after his arrest in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, following a "mob attack" on him and other freedom fighters at an event in Dhaka.

The 87-year-old, once an Awami League presidium member but expelled from the party in 2014 after losing his cabinet post, told his lawyer there was "no point" in applying for bail from a court he viewed as lacking the authority to grant it. As a result, no petition was filed on his behalf.

On Friday, Latif appeared in court alongside 15 others implicated in the case stemming from Thursday's attack on an event at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) hall. Some of the accused did apply for bail, but after...