Khaleda mourning, skips court hearing

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. Star file photo

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia today skipped a Dhaka court's hearing on the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases citing her mental state following the death of her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko.

After accepting two adjournment petitions filed by the defence, Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3 fixed February 25 as the next date of hearing.

In the petitions, defence said they are seeking adjournment as they had earlier filed two separate writ petitions with the High Court seeking permission for transferring the two graft cases from the court of Jomadar expressing no confidence in him.

The judge also granted two petitions filed for Khaleda’s non-appearance before the court.

On January 15, the judge fixed today (January 29) for hearing the two graft cases filed against Khaleda and 8 others and asked the BNP chief to appear before the court today.

On that day, Khaleda's lawyer AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon expressed no-confidence in Jomadar after he rejected four petitions filed by the defence.

Jamadar appointed as a new judge at the court on December 18 last year after the government transferred Judge Bashudev Roy, who had been holding trial of the cases since the charges were framed against Khaleda on March 19 last year, to the position of a special judge in Patuakhali.

Last time she attended the hearing in Bakshibazar, a skirmish broke out on December 24 with supporters of BNP and the ruling Awami League clashing for over an hour.