Hazari asked to surrender at trial court in 8 weeks

The High Court (HC) yesterday directed former Awami League lawmaker Joynal Abedin Hazari to surrender before the trial courts within eight weeks in connection with two criminal cases.
The two cases were filed with Feni police station against him on charges of torturing journalist Tipu Sultan in 2001 and disrupting public safety in 2002.
Upon two separate bail petitions filed by Hazari, alleged godfather of Feni district, the HC bench of Justice Syed AB Mahmudul Huq and Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury also asked the law enforcers not to harass or arrest the petitioner in the cases during a period of eight weeks.
Earlier on February 22, the HC bench directed Hazari, wanted in 19 criminal cases, to surrender before the trial courts within eight weeks in connection with 11 other criminal cases and granted him ad-interim bail for two months in a carjacking case.
Hazari who was awarded a total of 60 years' imprisonment in five cases in absentia appeared before the HC bench yesterday and prayed for bail in the two cases.
Advocate M Shajahan Shaju, a lawyer for Hazari, yesterday told The Daily Star that separate petitions for bail in five cases are now pending with the HC and that is why the law enforcers cannot arrest his client in the cases. Hazari was sentenced to imprisonment in those cases, he added.
Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder appeared for Hazari.