Khaleda's lawyers prepare to start legal battle

Counsels of detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia are preparing to start a legal battle at the High Court to free her by challenging the legality of her detention.
They will also file a bail petition as an immediate measure to free Khaleda.
A number of lawyers yesterday held a meeting with the BNP's newly appointed Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain to discuss strategy and work plan to free their detained chairperson.
"Lawyers have been asked to decide the next course of action to start the legal fight to free the chairperson," Delwar Hossain told reporters.
A number of lawyers led by former deputy attorney general advocate Helal Uddin Mollah yesterday went to the special jail on the parliament building complex to collect Khaleda's signature on vokalotnama.
"We applied to the jail authority to allow us to meet Khaleda Zia to provide her with legal aid," Helal said, adding that the jail authority took the papers and asked them to come today.
"We have already applied for the certified copy of the case [against Khaleda] for starting legal procedures. As soon as we get it, we will appeal to the court for her release on bail," Helal told The Daily Star.
"We will file a writ petition with the High Court challenging the legality of Khaleda Zia's arrest," he added.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on September 2 filed its first graft case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others.
They were charged with violating tendering conditions in appointing Global Agro Trade (Private) Company Ltd, an indenting house, for container handling at the Dhaka Inland Container Depot (ICD) and Chittagong Port ICD yard despite its inadequacy in experience and skills.
Former lawmakers Simon Begum and Rasheda Begum Hira, among others, were in the lawyers' team that went to meet Khaleda yesterday. They took dry food and some clothes for Khaleda. The jail authority took the food and told them that they would examine it before giving it to Khaleda.
DIG (prisons) Maj Shamsul Haider Siddiqui meanwhile told reporters yesterday that both Khaleda and detained Awami League President Sheikh Hasina were in good physical condition.
"A number of lawyers and relatives of Khaleda Zia applied to meet her. After completing all procedures we will take the list to her [Khaleda] to select persons she wants to meet on priority basis," Haider said.
"The jail authority is cooking food for both Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina together for the sake of convenience," he added.