New HC bench to deal with Khaleda's pleas

A new High Court bench has been assigned to dispose of four separate petitions filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the legality of proceedings in three graft cases against her.

Chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha assigned the bench of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Zafar Ahmed on Tuesday to deal with the petitions filed against Niko, Gatco and Barapukuria coalmine corruption cases.

Earlier on April 5, another HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan sent the appeals to the chief justice for necessary decisions, saying the counsels for Khaleda did not cooperate with the bench in dealing with the petitions.

Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan, who filed the cases against Khaleda, told The Daily Star the newly assigned bench led by Justice Nuruzzaman might start hearing the petitions any day.

On April 2, Khaleda had submitted an application to the chief justice through her lawyers, expressing her no-confidence in the HC bench of Justice Moinul and Justice Hassan.

Khaleda, in the application, said she might not get justice from the bench in her petition filed in Barapukuria coalmine corruption case.

The bench led by Moinul was set to deliver the verdict in the petition filed for scrapping the Barapukuria graft case on April 5.

In her application, the former prime minister also prayed for transfer of the plea to another bench.

The petitions against Gatco and Nico graft cases are also remaining pending with the bench of Justice Moinul and Justice Hassan.

The ACC filed the Niko and Gatco corruption cases against Khaleda in 2007 and Barapukuria coal mine graft case in 2008.