Hearing on petition to change court resumes today

The High Court will resume hearing today on a writ petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, challenging legality of a government notification that said the Niko corruption case trial against her will be held at a special court in Keraniganj Central Jail.

The petition has been included in today’s cause list of the HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Md Khairul Alam for hearing.

On May 28, the same bench held a hearing on the petition and adjourned it until today.

On May 13, the law ministry issued a gazette notification, saying that trials of 17 cases, including the Niko graft case, against the BNP chairperson will be held at a special court set up at building-2 in Keraniganj jail for security reasons.

Khaleda filed the petition on May 26.

Trial of Niko graft case was being held at a special court set up inside the old Dhaka central jail while trials of the 16 other cases were taking place at a makeshift court at Government Alia Madrasa in Bakshibazar.

Khaleda landed in jail on February 8 last year after being sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.