Meantime, Tarique was given a one-month detention order on Wednesday as per direction of the home ministry to prevent him from indulging in corruption and other activities, sources said.

Judge Momin Ullah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court fixed April 4 for hearing on the issue with lower court record.

The bail petition was filed with the higher court against rejection order of the lower court on March 8.

In the GD police mentioned that during the alliance rule Tarique himself, his party friends and business partners earned a huge amount of money through unbridled corruption in local and foreign tenders.

There is no legality of the source of his earnings. Besides, he amassed a huge amount of money taking commission from those who earned illegal money by appointing people to different posts in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.

Moreover, he siphoned off crores of taka which he earned through manipulating tenders using his, other family members' and business partners' influences in purchasing CNG-run auto-rickshaws, setting up power plants and manufacturing electric poles which caused huge loss to the government, reads the GD.

Police said Tarique needs to be confined to jail to refrain him from such activities.

JUDICIAL PROBE OF DEFAMATION CASES
The judicial probe into three defamation cases filed by detained BNP leader Tarique Rahman against Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina, its General Secretary Abdul Jalil and Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader was postponed yesterday.

Three metropolitan magistrates -- ABM Abdul Fattah, Abdur Rouf Khan and Mizanur Rahman -- fixed May 6 following three separate petitions seeking adjournment of the inquiry.

In yesterday's petitions, defence lawyers mentioned that Tarique could not appear before the court as he was earlier arrested in connection with an extortion case and given a one-month detention order. So, they prayed for adjournment of the inquiry.

Tarique filed the cases with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court on November 19 for conducting 'malicious campaign' against him.

After hearing the petitioner, Metropolitan Magistrate AJM Abdullahel Baqui ordered judicial inquiry into all the three cases without taking the matter into direct cognisance.

In the complaint against Sheikh Hasina, Tarique mentioned that she (Hasina) told a public meeting at Paltan Maidan on November 3, "The son of 4-party alliance chief drives a Tk 2 crore car, wears suit worth one lakh taka and squanders thousands of crore taka in gambling abroad."

In the charge against Obaidul Quader, the complainant said he (Quader) at a press briefing on November 4 said, "The New York Stock Exchange has awarded Tarique Rahman with a medal. People want to know how much taka is needed to get it and what the source of this money is."

Quader also said, "People want to know what Tarique Rahman carried in 435 suitcases and bags on his trip to Saudi Arabia for performing the Umrah? Why and how the Malaysian government has confiscated the money of Tarique?"

Complainant Tarique quoted AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil as telling the newsmen on November 16, "Apu, APS of Tarique Rahman, met the inspector general of police and pressurised him for the posting of 15 BNP party men as officers-in-charge to the police stations of Gopalganj, Faridpur, Shariatpur and Madaripur districts."

The petitioner said all these widely published and telecast statements of the AL leaders are false and baseless and they aimed to undermine his political image.