A Dhaka court yesterday deferred till April 9 recording deposition of witnesses in the August 21 grenade attack cases, even though a prosecution witness appeared before it to give his statement about the incident.
Awami League leader Dr Mohiuudin Khan Alamgir, the first witness included in the supplementary charge sheets, appeared before the court.
The Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 set the new date for next hearing to start recording deposition following time petitions moved by the defence lawyers.
In the petitions, lawyers of former inspector generals of police Asharaful Huda and Shahudul Haque, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed told the court that the same court had earlier recorded statements of 61 witnesses in the first charge sheets of the cases.
The defence said their clients should not face the trial as their names were not included in the first charge sheets.
Charges were framed against their clients on March 18 in the supplementary charge sheets of the cases filed--one for killing and other under the explosive substances act.
So, the counsels for the accused want to cross-examine the previous 61 witnesses, the defence said. Otherwise, the accused will be deprived of justice, defence added.
After hearing the defence, Judge Shahed Nuruddin fixed April 9 to start recording deposition.
Counsels of former three IGPs--Ashraful Huda, Shahadul Haque and Khoda Baksh Chowdhury and three former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials--Abdur Rashid, Ruhul Amin and Munshi Atiqur Rahman--submitted separate bail petitions.
BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman's counsel submitted a petition seeking an adjournment of the yesterday's hearing as they would appeal with the higher court challenging legality of the order passed by the court rejecting the appeal for becoming a lawyer to defend Tarique in his absence.
Meantime, advocate Borhan Uddin submitted a petition to become a lawyer to defend BNP lawmaker Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad as he went abroad for treatment with permission from the Speaker of parliament.
The lawyer also said the investigation officer showed his client fugitive violating the provisions and rules of the parliament.