BNP chief denied bail again

Two separate courts in Dhaka yesterday rejected the bail petitions of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two cases filed over "undermining” the national flag and celebrating her "fake” birthday on August 15.

Metropolitan magistrates Ahsan Habib and Khurshid Alam rejected the two bail petitions.

Soon after the orders, Masud Ahmed Talukder, one of Kahleda's lawyers, told The Daily Star that his client would file criminal appeals with the higher court challenging the legality of lower courts' rejection orders.

After hearing the prosecution and the defence arguments, two Dhaka courts on June 21 fixed yesterday for passing orders on the bail petitions of Khaleda.

One of the cases was filed by AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, with a Dhaka court on November 3, 2016, accusing Khaleda and her late husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, of “undermining” the country's map and national flag.

The court dropped Ziaur Rahman's name from the charges as he died earlier.

The second case was filed by Gazi Zahirul Islam, former joint general secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists, with another Dhaka court on August 30, 2016, accusing Khaleda of celebrating her “fake birthday” on August 15 every year.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday fixed July 9 for hearing a petition filed by the BNP chairperson seeking review of its May 16 order that asked the HC to hear and dispose of her appeal in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case by July 31.

Chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC Justice Hasan Foez Siddique fixed the date after a brief hearing on the petition. The apex court chamber judge sent the petition to its full bench and fixed July 9 for its hearing.

The Appellate Division on May 16 upheld a HC order that granted four months' bail to Khaleda in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case and also asked the HC bench led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim to hear and dispose of her appeal by July 31.

Khaleda Zia has also filed a petition with the HC seeking extension of its earlier order that granted four-month bail to her in Zia Orphanage Trust Corruption Case in which she was sentenced to five-year imprisonment.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman yesterday fixed Sunday for hearing the petition submitted by her lawyer on Wednesday.