Indictment hearing June 20

A Dhaka court yesterday fixed June 20 for hearing on charge framing against BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 45 others accused in an arson case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Erfan Ullah set the date after scrutinising the case documents and other relevant papers.
Earlier in the day, counsels of five BNP-led 18-party alliance lawmakers including Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon submitted separate petitions seeking more tim, saying that their clients, now on bail, could not appear before it for being busy with the ongoing parliament session.
BNP leaders MK Anwar, Khokon and Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman Andalib Rahman Partha and Liberal Democratic President Col Oli Ahmed are the lawmakers on bail.
The 34 detained opposition leaders including Mirza Fakhrul were not produced before the court during the hearing. The three others detained are Mohammad Sohel Miah and Jasim Uddin - two conductors of the torched bus - and pedestrian Manik Ratan.
All of them were granted bail by the High Court on June 7. However they were not released from jail as another court issued production warrants against them in the blast case.
The court directed all the accused to appear before it on June 20.
The court said the trial will continue in absence of four Jamaat men, including its acting Ameer Moqbul Ahmad, who are absconding.
Police filed a case against the accused hours after a vehicle was set ablaze near the prime minister's office during hartal hours on April 29.
On May 10, detectives pressed charges against Mirza Fakhrul and 45 others in the arson case.