HC stays trial proceedings against Khaleda

The High Court yesterday stayed the trial proceedings of a sedition case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for the next six months.

The court also issued a rule upon the government and the complainant of the case to explain in four weeks why the trial court's order to accept charges should not be scrapped.

The HC bench of Justice Md Miftah Uddin Choudhury and Justice ANM Bashir Ullah came up with the order and rule following a petition filed by Khaleda challenging the trial proceedings.

Khaleda Zia's lawyer Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon told The Daily Star that the HC stayed the trial proceedings on the grounds that the lower court's order to accept the charges against her was illegal, as the complainant Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi has no right to file any sedition case.

Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir told this correspondent that the government will move a petition before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the HC order that stayed the trial proceedings against Khaleda.

Earlier on January 5, the BNP chief filed the petition seeking a stay on the proceedings in the case which was lodged for her comments on the count of 1971 martyrs.

According to the case, complainant Momtaz alleged Khaleda Zia on December 21, 2015, at a programme organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal marking the 45th Victory Day said: “there are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War.”